The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption
by Genevieve Kelly
Summary: Face meets an orphan in a small town and soon ends up getting him and Murdock kidnapped by ruthless men while fighting to protect the boy. Hannibal and BA must find a way to save them, especially Face, from a dark secret that is about to be uncovered.
1. Chapter 1

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter One

Bluewater was a very small and quiet town in California. A village was surrounded by desert for miles and there were hardly any visitors. The town's population was just over one hundred.

From a small home in the middle of the town, a man in his late twenties walked down the street to the sheriff's office. It was beginning to get late and most of the shops and establishments were closed for the night.

The younger man knocked firmly on the door and waited impatiently for the sheriff to answer. When he finally did so after a few minutes, the man quickly walked around the sheriff and stood near the desk in the corner of the room as he began to explain the reason for his hasty intrusion so late in the night.

"Jack, you have to gather your deputies as soon as it is light out to see if you can find out where the dead child that was brought to me two weeks ago came from. Another child, about fifteen, came walking into town half dead earlier this evening. He was in the same condition as the other boy; dehydrated, starving, and filthy. They also had welts, scratches, and bruises on various parts of their bodies. They had obviously been walking a long time. It's amazing the older boy survived out there for God knows how long."

"Jared, I assure you, that we will see what we can do as soon as it is light out," the Sheriff answered. Now, did the boy tell you anything about where he came from?"

Jared lowered his head and replied, "No, he fell unconscious when he finally made it to me. He hasn't woken up yet. I don't know if he even will, but I am going to do everything I can to help him."

Jared turned around and headed toward the door as the sheriff responded, "I am sure you will try, Doctor, but I am afraid that I can't let you. I've got too much at stake and I can't let you ruin what I've got here."

As the sheriff said this, he swiftly grabbed his gun from his holster and used the butt to knock Jared in the back of the head before the young doctor even had a chance to turn around. Jack reached down to check the man's pulse and when he saw that he was fine, but fully unconscious, he called out to someone who was hiding in another room of the office.

As the second man walked out, the sheriff began to yell at the man saying, "Another one of those blasted kids managed to escape, Rick. We are lucky that those who know what we are doing, knows to keep their mouths shut, but this doctor isn't that kind of man. He's stubborn. It's a good thing he came to me first instead of waiting for the boy to wake up. He could have spoiled everything."

"Don't you dare speak with me as if you are the one who's in charge around here, Jack," the man replied. "I am the one who is making you a rich man, as well as most of the other people in this town. If it weren't for me, you would have nothing. Go and finish the boy off. He should have known better than to run away. Then, go out and bury him where no one can find the body. My men and I will bring the doctor back to the mine with us and make sure that the rest of the kids don't try to escape again. Just do your job and I will worry about mine. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Jack answered. "I'll take care of the boy."

"Good," Rick said. "Now, help me put him in the trunk of my car."

Together, they lifted up the doctor and carried him out to Rick's car that was parked just outside the door and then walked in different directions. Rick headed off to the bar to meet up with some of his men, while Jack headed toward the doctor's home in order to take care of the fifteen year old boy.

There weren't too many people who actually knew the truth of what Jack and Rick were into, but Rick paid most of the people in town to keep quiet, should they see anything bad or suspicious. They were also too afraid to talk to anyone out of fear of what would happen to them or their families. Those who did know the truth and were involved were paid much better.

When he walked into one of the rooms that the doctor had set up to treat his patients, Jack found the boy lying in a bed. He was still unconscious. Jack walked over to the bed, picked up one of the pillows and quickly used it to smother him, so that no noise would be made.

After holding the pillow in place for over a minute, Jack finally lifted it up to make sure the job was done. The boy was dead. Jack grabbed the blanket from the bed, wrapped the boy in it, and carried him out of the room. He left the home from the back door and walked back to his car in front of the station from behind the buildings along the street. Even though he knew that most of the people wouldn't even question what he was doing, he didn't want to take the risk of running into someone like the doctor.

Little did Jack know that someone had watched everything he had just done. Once the sheriff left the room carrying the boy, another boy stepped out from the closet in the room where the boy once lay. The boy was a few years younger. He quietly snuck out of the doctor's house and ran to the orphanage where he lived.

Once he made it safely to his room where there were several other children sleeping, he lay down on his bed and silently cried for hours. The boy he had just seen the sheriff kill was his older brother. With the sheriff being bad and not knowing who else he could turn to, the younger boy was terrified.

Anyone who lived here in Bluewater knew everyone and practically everything about them, except for the things that were meant to be kept the darkest of secrets and a dark one was about to come out.


	2. Chapter 2

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Two

The team had just finished a difficult mission down in South America when a young pilot's elderly parents and his cousin hired them to prove the young man was innocent after he was incarcerated and convicted of smuggling cocaine in his jet. Once they said goodbye to the family, Hannibal and BA drove off in BA's van, while Murdock and Face drove off in Face's corvette.

Face had told the rest of the team that he wanted to make a stop to close some kind of business deal he had going with someone from San Diego. He planned on going off alone, but Murdock insisted that he go along with him. Face tried to protest, but in the end he was outnumbered three to one.

The truth was, Face just wanted some time to think alone. He had nothing against Murdock tagging along usually, even when he was his crazy, usual self. However, this last mission made him think about some things he never really thought about before. It was because of what Judy's aunt had said to him about it being a shame that he never had anyone to bake him cookies while he was in the army.

It reminded him of how alone he really was, with the exception of his friends. They were as close as brothers, but the relationships he shared with them just wasn't the same to having a family of his own. However, the time he spent with Murdock, Hannibal, and BA made him forget about the loneliness that he buried deep down. He was thankful to having them around, which is why he never considered leaving the A-Team.

Murdock interrupted Face's thoughts when he looked up from the psychology book he had just finished reading and asked, "What is it that you're thinking about, there, Faceman? You seem awfully troubled."

Face quickly put back on the mask of charm he always hid behind and answered, "I'm fine, Murdock. I don't think that that book of yours is helping you any. In fact, I think it's making you crazier than you already are. You're seeing things that aren't there."

"You already know that I see things that none of you can," Murdock replied. "I see Billy all the time, but that is different than what I saw a minute ago and ever since we left Vegas. I know that something is bothering you. Does it have something to do with those cookies Rob's mother made for you and whatever it was she said to you in her kitchen that day when you told them we would do the job for free? I'll bet you it does."

"Look, I said I'm fine," Face responded. "She just reminded me of something I had forgotten about, that's all."

Murdock continued to look at him and said, "Please tell me about it. I can help you. This book has answers for anything."

Face looked over at Murdock, smiled at him before turning back to the road, and answered, "I appreciate that you care, Murdock. Really, I do, but I don't think anything in that book can help me. Besides, I've already accepted it and in time, this will all be forgotten again. Now, I'm going to pull over in the next town we come across so that we can get gas and by we, I mean you. After all, you were the one who insisted on coming along with me."

"Very well," Murdock responded. "What are you going to do while I'm getting the gas?"

"I'll find some beautiful lady to get us something to eat before we hit the road again," Face replied.

"Of course you will," Murdock said. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that."

Face went back to his thoughts, while Murdock just looked over at his friend as his face once again became troubled. Then, he went back to reading something in his book, hoping to find something that may help him to get Face to open up.

After about a half hour, they finally pulled into the only town around for miles. They read a sign that told them they were in Bluewater, California. Face pulled his corvette into the gas station and opened the door to stand up. Murdock did the same and went around the car to begin pumping the gas.

Face was about to head over to what looked like a cafe, but as he looked around, he noticed a small, Vietnamese boy sitting down in the corner of the steps that led to an orphanage. There were a few other kids playing outside, but the boy sat all alone and Face could tell that he was very upset about something.

"Hey, uh, Murdock, I'll be back in a few minutes," Face said as he began to walk toward the orphanage.

Murdock watched him walk off and wondered what it was that made his friend change his mind about going to the café. It was then that he noticed the boy sitting outside of the orphanage too. Murdock smiled and then continued to concentrate on filling the gas tank of Face's car.

To most people, Templeton Peck would come off egotistical, but Murdock knew that Face was much more than that and he showed it every time that they went out on a mission. Each of them, including Face, sacrificed their lives everyday to help complete strangers when they needed it. However, it was always the times when Face surprised them with his compassion that they saw the man he really was. The self-centered attitude was this con man's act.

Face walked over to the stairs where the boy sat and took a seat beside him. The boy didn't even look up. Face saw that the boy was not just upset, but he was also crying silently. Tear stains covered his face and his eyes were red. He had been crying for a long time.

Face spoke up first saying, "I couldn't help but notice that you look like you could use someone to talk to. What's wrong? Do you speak English?"

The boy looked over at Face and replied very quickly, "I speak English. Just go away. I don't want to speak to anyone."

"My friends call me Face," Face responded as he watched the boy scoot closer to one of the pillars that held up the front of the roof over the orphanage. "I don't mean to be nosy, but I see your friends are down there having a good time without you. I can see that you're hurting. I want to help you, if you'll let me."

"Why would you want to help me?" the boy asked. "I am just an orphan. Nobody cares about me or what happens to me or the rest of us. You would never understand."

Face gently lifted the boys head by his chin and looked into his eyes as he answered, "You're wrong. I care because I know exactly what it is like to have no one care about you. I am an orphan too. I was raised in several orphanages over the years. I never knew my real family, but I found three real good friends who are like brothers to me. I was fortunate to find them. I am sure that good fortune will find you too. What is your name?"

The boy continued to look at Face and replied, "I am Cadao. I am thirteen."

"Cadao, that is a nice name," Face said. "Why are you crying?"

"I can't tell you because I…" the boy began to say until he suddenly stood and ran inside as soon as he saw a man walking toward them.

Face stood and watched the man that the boy was obviously afraid of as he walked past him to go inside the orphanage. The man continued to glare at him until he disappeared inside. Face knew something was wrong about the man whom he saw was the town's sheriff, but he wasn't sure if he should go in after him or not.

Face started to walk back to his car, but stopped in the middle of the street and took a few minutes to think. He noticed that Murdock had disappeared inside the gas station, probably to grab them both something to eat. He wanted to find him and get out of town, but every instinct told him that something was very wrong and that the boy needed his help. So, Face turned around and slowly, walked back to the orphanage, and snuck in to try to see what made Cadao so scared of the man who had just entered it a few moments ago.

What Face didn't know was that two men from inside the orphanage had just watched and listened to the conversation between him and the boy from the window that overlooked the porch where they sat. One of the men was Rick and the other was the warden of the orphanage. Neither one of them liked that a stranger was beginning to speak to one of the children who lived here.

When Face had asked Cadao why he was crying, the warden stepped away from the window and was about to go out to stop the boy from answering the stranger, until he saw the boy quickly get up and run inside as Jack came walking toward them.

Once inside, Jack, Rick, and the warden began to talk, while one of Rick's men held onto Cadao who was struggling in his arms to get away. The man covered the boy's mouth to keep him quiet. None of them noticed that Face had snuck in and hid to find out what was going on.


	3. Chapter 3

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Three

Face walked inside and hid behind a wall just outside of what looked to be the entrance of the main room of the orphanage. He stood with his back to the door that led back outside and peered around the corner to try to see and hear what was going on between the men who stood in the center of the room, including the sheriff who had just walked in ahead of him. He also saw Cadao, who was struggling to get free from the arms of one of the men who held him tightly.

Face watched as the man who appeared to run the orphanage walk over to stand in front of the boy as he asked, "Who was that man you were just talking to outside? You were about to tell him something you know nothing about."

As the man moved his hand from off of his mouth Cadao responded, "I do not know who he was. He was just a stranger. I know nothing about anything. Let me go!"

"Do not lie to us, boy!" the sheriff shouted as he slapped Cadao across the cheek. "If I hadn't have come along, you would have told him something. I can see that you fear me, but from your face right now, I also see that you hate me. Now, why is that?"

"Because you are a monster!" Cadao shouted back. "All of you are bad men! You killed my brother!"

The sheriff looked over at Rick, then back at the boy and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Cadao finally quit struggling in the man's arms and answered, "Last night, you killed Linh. He was my brother. I saw you kill him."

Rick walked over and knelt down in front of Cadao and asked, "How did you see what you claim to have seen?"

"That is none of your business," Cadao replied as he spit in Rick's face.

"You little Brat!" Rick responded as he once again slapped the boy hard across the face. "We will take him to the mine with us."

The warden stepped forward and said, "But he is only thirteen years old. You do not take the children until they are at least fifteen. The boy will not last long in your mine. He is too small."

Rick stood up in front of the warden and asked, "Since when do you care about these kids, Brian? You have been delivering them to me for years as soon as they are old enough to work down there. This boy has seen too much and he needs to be dealt with now before he can talk any more to anyone."

"I do not care about these children in the least, but what if he said something to one of the other children?" Brian asked. "Are you going to take them all? I will be out of a job."

"Do not worry about your job," Rick replied. "I pay you well enough. Do not worry about losing your paycheck from the government. I don't think the boy said anything to the others. They would not be out there playing now if he did. They can stay until they are old enough to come and work for me. Now, go out and bring me the stranger the boy was talking to and his friend that came into town with him. His car is still parked at the gas station. I will not take any chances of word getting out of what we are doing."

Face got so caught up in the conversation he was hearing, that he did not notice another man walk in the orphanage until a gun was placed at his back. The man grabbed the back of Face's jacket that he wore and shoved him forward into the room with the rest of the men and Cadao.

Each of the men looked at the stranger in surprise as the sheriff spoke up saying, "It looks like we didn't have to go far to find him. If he didn't know anything before, he certainly does now."

Face replied, "I don't know a whole lot, but I know enough to see the monsters you and your friends here are. The boy was right."

"Who are you?" Rick asked as he walked over to stand in front of Face. "Why would you give up your life to try to help a child you do not even know?"

"I haven't given up my life," Face answered. "I just put myself in danger, that's all. And I did it because the boy looked like he needed help. I see that I was right about that. Whatever you are up to, I am going to stop you. I am very good at what I do."

Jack laughed as he asked, "Who is the friend who came into town with you?"

Face replied, "He's just a hitchhiker that I picked up along the way. I don't normally pick up complete strangers. You never know where they've been, but something about him told me he needed my help too. I am just a friendly guy who is looking for all the good karma I can get, I suppose."

"You seem pretty cocky," Rick responded. "You won't be after a few days of slaving in my mine. Jack, Charlie, bring him. Dave, bring the boy."

Face elbowed the man who held the gun on him and swung around to knock him out. Then, he quickly grabbed a hold of a broom that lay up against the wall closest to him and swung it around to hit the man who held on to Cadao. He shouted for the boy to run and he did so. However, Face was still well outnumbered and Cadao didn't make it very far before the warden grabbed him and held him, while Jack, Rick, and his friends began to beat Face maliciously until he was finally knocked unconscious. Blood poured out from a large gash on the left side of his forehead.

Cadao cried and begged for them to stop, but they ignored him. Once Face had become unconscious, the men stopped the brutal attack and looked up at Rick for instructions on what he wanted them to do with him.

"Drag this hero out and bring him to the mine like we planned," Rick said as he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe off Face's blood from his hands. Bring the boy too and go over to the gas station to find this guy's friend. Kill him if he gives you any problems. Also, bring me his corvette. I always wanted a beauty like that."

Murdock stood at the counter inside the gas station and thanked the clerk for the gas and food he had just bought. Then, he walked outside to the car. As he did so, he looked over toward the orphanage and saw two men dragging his unconscious friend out between them. He watched as they threw Face and the Vietnamese boy inside a van that was parked just outside.

Murdock dropped the bags he was carrying and ran around to the driver's side of the corvette and started the car. As he waited for the van to pull out far enough ahead of him so that he would be able to follow at a safe distance, he reached for the phone and started to dial the number of the phone inside of BA's van.

However, before he could finish, he heard the clicking of a gun being prepped to fire. He turned to see another man holding the gun at his head. The man ordered Murdock to put the phone down as he slowly moved around to the passenger's side of the car. As he got in, he told Murdock to drive after the van, while he held the gun on him. Murdock did as he was told. He just cared about getting to Face to make sure his friend was all right.

Something terrible was going on here in Bluewater and Murdock knew that Hannibal and BA would figure it out too when they don't show up at their latest apartment in Los Angeles Face had managed to scam from someone.


	4. Chapter 4

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Four

Murdock continued to follow behind the van, while the man who sat next to him kept his gun trained on him. Finally after almost an hour of driving through the barren desert, the van came to a stop and the man ordered him to do the same.

As Murdock looked around, he saw that they were outside of an old mine shaft and that there were at least four heavily armed guards standing outside the entrance. There were also two other cars parked of to the side of the mine. However, it was what he saw next that made him angry.

He watched as three boys, at least between the ages of fifteen to twenty, walk out from the mine shaft pushing and pulling carts of rock and dirt and over to a very large and long pit in the ground that was obviously dug for a dumping area. Murdock wasn't really sure what was going on, but he was hoping that maybe Face would have some answers for him. It was then that he remembered watching as two men dragged his friend out to the van.

Murdock turned to look behind him to see if the men had taken Face out from the van, but as he tried, he was shoved forward into the mine by the gunman. As they continued to walk, Murdock saw several other young boys and girls that were as young as fifteen and some of them were young adults. They looked dirty, exhausted, and some of them looked ill and hurt.

The deeper they walked through the mine, the larger it became. Murdock saw that there were several other gunmen who were spread out throughout the mine. The children were being forced to work picking and axing away at the walls for something that Murdock was not able to get a good look at. However, whatever it was, it was important to these men for whatever reason and they were using these children to do their dirty work for them.

Finally, they came to a stop just outside of a large, nearly empty cell and as one of the guards opened the cell's door, the gunman shoved Murdock inside and then closed and locked the door behind him. Then, the two men walked off.

Murdock shouted, "Hey, where is my friend? Somebody talk to me. Tell me where he is."

As soon as he finished asking about Face, two men walked in front of him, just outside the cell's door. One of the men was dressed in a sheriff's uniform, while the other one wore an expensive suit. It reminded him of something that Face would wear. As Murdock observed the men who he figured were the ones who were in charge, he noticed that the man in the suit was wearing Face's watch. Murdock glared up at the man as he finally spoke up.

"So, you and the previous owner of this fabulous watch are friends," he said. "He told us that you were just a hitchhiker who looked like you needed some help. I thought he was lying."

"He wasn't lying," Murdock replied. "We had been driving for a few hours before we stopped here to get gas. People can become friends after a few hours, am I right?"

Rick responded, "Maybe, but from your outburst just before we walked over here shows that you seemed awfully concerned for someone you've only known for a short time, but that doesn't matter. I want to know who you and your pal really are."

Murdock nodded and answered, "The name's HM Murdock, current resident of the VA hospital, the loony bin to be exact. I escaped and I caught a ride in that lovely, white corvette with red stripe all along the exterior. It sure is a beauty, ain't it? My dog, Billy and I absolutely loved it, didn't we, Billy."

Rick and Jack stared at Murdock as he began to pet and play with his imaginary dog and then Rick said, "I think I believe you. What name did your friend give you? I searched his wallet and I found several business cards, all with a number of different names."

"He told me his name was John, or maybe it was Bill," Murdock replied. "It may have been Fred, but I'm not really sure. I don't really remember. We talked a lot, but not about our names."

"Earlier you seemed concerned about this man, whoever he is," Rick responded. "Why is that?"

Murdock looked at him and answered, "I care about everyone and don't want to see anyone hurt. As I said before, we are friends now. Where is he?"

After Murdock asked this, they all turned their heads as the two men who had dragged Face out to the van from the orphanage, walked in dragging him between them once again. Face was still unconscious and Murdock could now see the blood that came from the wound on his forehead.

The man once again opened the cell door and the others threw Face inside, followed by the young boy whom Face had talked to shortly before this whole incident had occurred. After the cell was once again locked, Rick, the sheriff, and the other men disappeared and left everyone inside the cell alone.

Murdock quickly bent down over Face and began to look over his body for any other wounds or damage done that could be a problem. He then placed his hand over the gash on his forehead and checked his friend's pulse. It seemed normal, but Murdock was still worried.

Suddenly, a man ran over from behind some of the other children that were in the cell with them and quickly knelt down to do as Murdock had just done. He carried a bag with him and began to pull out some medical supplies, as he then went to work on trying to patch Face up. The Vietnamese boy knelt down beside him as well.

Murdock looked over at the man who was working on Face and asked, "Are you a doctor? Who are you?"

The man replied, "My name is Jared and yes, I am a doctor. I moved to this town a few months ago. I liked it here, at first. That was until I discovered that something was wrong. I just wasn't sure what it was. Then about two weeks ago, a young boy, about fifteen years old, was brought to me by one of the people from the town. He was barely alive, but there was nothing I could do to help him. He died within a few minutes. Then, just last night another boy was brought to me by Cadao here. The boy was Cadao's older brother."

"The sheriff killed him last night," Cadao said as he cut in. "After you left to talk to him, he came to the clinic and killed him with a pillow and took his body away. I hid in the closet. You did not come back."

"Jack, that's the sheriff, knocked me out when my back was turned," Jared responded. "I didn't know he was involved in whatever was going on here. When I woke up, I was inside this cell, along with some of my medical supplies. I guess they wanted me to keep quiet, as well as treat these children so that they can continue to do their slave work."

Murdock looked around at the children and asked, "Who are all these children? How is it that they have been down here and no one is looking for them?"

Jared looked up from working on Face's head wound and answered, "They are all orphans. No one misses them because they have no one to care for them. Once they become old enough, which according to Rick and the warden is fifteen, they are kidnapped and brought here to work for them. They work all day mining gold from these walls. Some of these children are as old as twenty, maybe older. These men are filthy rich. They spend their money in town and they also use their money to pay off the townspeople in order to keep them quiet, should the cops come around. Apparently, they are wanted for something. I am just not sure what yet. My guess is murder and kidnapping."

"Is Face going to be ok?" Cadao asked.

"The gash on his head looks worse than what it is," Jared replied. "He has a few broken ribs, but they aren't too bad either. I will wrap them and he should be all right, as long as he doesn't work too hard. Who are you two anyway?"

Cadao responded, "This is Face. He tried to help me earlier before we were taken. He told me to run, but I couldn't. They beat him badly when he tried to stop them. I am sorry, Mister."

Murdock replied, "You can call me Murdock. Don't worry, Face and I are going to stop them."

"How are the two of you going to stop all of them?" Jared asked. "They already did this to your friend for trying to help."

"Yes, but we aren't alone," Murdock answered. "We have friends and this is the sort of thing we do all the time. We help people."


	5. Chapter 5

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Five

Hannibal and BA were driving and were nearly home. BA hadn't said very much during their drive, except for complaining to Hannibal about how mad he was that they had hypnotized him to get him on those planes. The colonel had to apologize a number of times before BA finally let it go.

As they were a few miles from their destination, Hannibal looked down at his watch and frowned as he spoke saying, "Face and Murdock should have called in by now. They both know better than to not keep in contact."

BA responded, "I wouldn't worry too much about it. That crazy fool probably just did something to Face's phone or maybe even his car. He probably crashed it or something. I am sure they are both fine. I would think that if they were caught by Decker, we would have heard about it by now."

"You may be right, but I'm going to try to call them," Hannibal replied as he picked up the van's phone and dialed the number to Face's car phone. "They aren't answering."

"You think that they're not answering because something worse happened to them, don't you?" BA asked. "We are nearly back at the latest place Face has scammed for us. What do you want to do?"

Hannibal answered, "Face said that they were heading toward San Diego. They would have had to stop for gas along the way. The problem is going to be figuring out where that was. I don't want to take any chances that they may be in trouble. Let's head down to where we split off from them and try to track them down."

BA grumbled and said, "Great! And I was looking forward to watching the game that was going to be starting soon. Those two troublemakers better be dying because if they aren't, I'm going to kill them."

"Relax, BA," Hannibal responded. "If it were you, I would have given the same orders to Face or Murdock. We need to look out for each other, remember?"

"Fine, but just as long as there are no planes involved," BA replied. "Cause if there are, you'll be the first one I kill. We need to stop by home first to get a few supplies."

Hannibal nodded and answered, "You're right. I'll need to make a few phone calls first to see if any of our contacts have heard anything."

Meanwhile…

About an hour after they were thrown inside the cell down in the mine, Murdock continued to talk with Jared and a few of the children who were inside of the cell as well, while he remained close by Face for whenever he woke up. The doctor had to reassure him that Face was going to be just fine once he came to and as long as he didn't work too hard.

Finally, Face started to come to and he focused on trying to sit up. However, he tried to do it too fast and his head began to swim. Murdock helped him to try to sit up and get more comfortable.

"Aagh, my head," Face said as he did so. "What… Cadao! Is he…?"

"Don't worry," Murdock interrupted. "The boy's just fine. It's you who just nearly got himself killed. What were you thinking trying to take on a number of heavily armed men by yourself?"

"I wasn't really," Face answered as he started to look around to see where he was. "Murdock? I'm sorry. I didn't mean for them to get you too. I tried to tell them we were strangers. Where are we?"

Murdock responded, "We're in some kind of deep underground mine in the middle of nowhere. If we can manage to escape, I think I can get us back to civilization."

Face nodded slowly and asked, "Where's Cadao? You said he was all right?"

"I'm fine," Cadao said as he walked over to sit by Face. "Thanks to you. I am sorry I couldn't get away. There were too many. You got hurt for nothing."

"You're wrong," Face replied. "I got hurt trying to help you, just as I should have. I don't regret it. My body might though. What's going on? Who are all these children?"

The doctor came over and as he checked on Face's head wound and began to change the bandage, he answered, "Just take it easy. I'm a doctor. My name is Jared. These children are all from the orphanage. Some of them have been here for years. It is nice to meet someone who is willing to help out around here. I didn't understand why the sheriff didn't try to help before when I first talked to him about the strange things going on in this town. Now I do."

Face looked at the man in front of him and then at Murdock with a confused expression as he asked, "What exactly is going on here? Why would these men kidnap all these children and then us?"

"It's a long story," Murdock responded as he then went on to explain everything that they knew.

"We need to get out of here and get word to Hannibal and BA about this," Face said as they finished. "We have to stop these monsters and get these children and the good doctor here someplace safe."

Murdock replied, "That isn't going to be easy, especially since we have no idea what these thugs have planned for us, but I definitely agree with you, Faceman. Perhaps I should try the sick prisoner routine, you know? I make a wonderful sick prisoner. Billy can bite them too."

Jared leaned over close to Face's ear and whispered, "Is he really insane, or was that just a lie he told to them as well?"

"Nope, he's really insane, but in a good way," Face answered. "His insanity has gotten us out of many tight spots. Don't worry, even if we can't get ourselves out of here, Hannibal and BA will know something's wrong when we don't check in with them. They are probably already on their way to find us."

"You guys are the A-Team, aren't you?" Jared asked as both Face and Murdock looked at each other and then back at Jared. "Don't worry, I won't tell them out there who you are. I just guessed because I think that you guys are the only ones insane enough to actually try to help us. I've seen the reports about you guys on the news. I don't care about what people are saying about you. I can tell that the reports are all wrong."

"Thank you!" Face responded. "It's always nice to hear that people believe we are not who everyone says we are."

Murdock agreed as he said, "Face is right. But we are used to the slander. We've been on the run together for over ten years now and we were together in Vietnam before that. We know who we are and as long as we stick together, we're fine."

"Can I be a part of your team as soon as we are out of here, Face?" Cadao asked pleadingly. I want to be a part of a family again."

"We would be honored to have you as a part of our team, but I am afraid that things are just too complicated for such a young boy like you," Face answered. "But you can be an honorary member of the team. If you ever see someone in trouble or see someone doing something that you know is wrong, stand up for them and protect the innocent people around you. The rest of these kids and Jared are your family. Protect them and you will make me proud."

Cadao replied, "You got it, Faceman!"

Murdock and Jared smiled as they observed the exchange between Face and Cadao. They then began to laugh as Face began to tell wild stories to him and the other children inside the cell.

However, one of the kids did not join in the fun. He was one of the older boys and had been there the longest out of everyone. He didn't believe that these strangers were going to help them. No body's tried to help before because no body's cared whether they lived or died in this place.

It was then that the guards walked in and ordered Face, Murdock, Jared, and some of the kids to come out of the cell. It was time for them to begin working, while the rest of the kids got some sleep so that they would be rested for their shift. Face and Murdock, however, were pulled aside from the rest of the group and the guards placed shackles around each of their wrists. The guards told them it was orders from Rick. He suspected that the two of them were going to give them trouble, as Face already had.

"These are going to complicate things a bit," Murdock said as he and Face were shoved forward and placed at their work area in the mine.

"Don't worry," Face replied. "Hannibal and BA are already on their way, I'm sure of it. In the meantime, we need to try to come up with a plan ourselves. If we can get out of here, we can find someone from town who will help us and get into contact with the others."

Murdock responded, "But Jared said that no one in town will do anything."

Face answered, "Maybe they are just too scared. If we can show them that there are people who can fight back against these thugs, maybe they will be willing to help us. We have to try."

"You're right!" Murdock agreed as he nodded his head. "I sure hope that brain of yours didn't get too scrambled from that hit in the head because we could sure use one of your scams now."

"Don't you worry," Face said with a smile. "No matter how hard of a knock to the head I take, I can always figure out how to con somebody out of something. Let's get to work before they decide to give us a beating or something worse."


	6. Chapter 6

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Six

Face and Murdock had been working throughout the mine for over ten hours straight now. All of those who were working were given very short breaks, as well as water in order to keep them from becoming dehydrated. They were told that they wouldn't be given food until their shifts were done.

The smaller children struggled to keep up with the work that they were forced to do, making it so that those who were older had to work harder in order to pick up the slack. If someone got hurt or did end up becoming ill or dehydrated, Jared stopped his own work to go to help them.

Face and Murdock worked hard the whole time and as they did so, they observed their surroundings, hoping to learn the number of guards on shift at a time and when they made the shift changes. Both Face and Murdock were exhausted and thirsty, but they did not complain. The children needed them to remain strong so that they could help them when the time came for their escape.

Murdock was now holding the starter drill rod, while Face concentrated on hitting it with the hammer. They took turns using the tools that were given to them. When they were finished with the area they were sent to for work, Cadao would come over with a cart and the three of them worked on loading the broken rock and dirt inside. Then, Cadao and another one of the children pushed and pulled the cart out to the large pit outside the mine.

Both Face and Murdock were given one or two opportunities to take a load out to the pit themselves. They saw that there were at least five armed guards that continued to guard the entrance of the mine at a time. Face's car and at least two others were parked nearby the pit. They also noticed a large room inside of the mine where the men who were not on duty at the time sat and relaxed.

One of the guards walked past Face and Murdock as Cadao and the other girl walked off with the cart. As the man did so, they quickly got back to work so that they would not draw the man's attention to them. They talked between themselves as quietly as possible.

Face swung the hammer and suddenly he grunted in pain and fell to the ground, as he wrapped his left arm around his chest. Murdock quickly threw down his tool and sat next to Face to help him.

"What happened?" Murdock asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Face replied as he tried to get up again. "I just swung a little too hard that time. I wasn't focusing on what I was doing. We need to get back to work before one of the guards comes over here and sees us sitting on the job. I'll be all right."

Murdock grabbed Face by his shoulder and back and pushed him back down to the ground as he responded, "You are not all right. A few of your ribs are broken, remember? You're hurting, aren't you? Tell me the truth."

Face nodded and said, "Yes, but we have to keep working. These kids are worse off than I am."

"That may be true, but you can't keep working like this either," Murdock replied. "I'm going to go get Jared. Maybe he can wrap up your ribs better so that you can continue working if you insist on doing so."

"No, don't…" Face tried to say as Murdock got up.

However, before Murdock got very far, Jared came over to them carrying his bag. Murdock sat back down next to Face and Jared pulled out the bandages and medical tape he needed to help Face.

Murdock spoke up saying, "It looks like you read my mind. He's hurting worse than he'll admit to. I also think he's beginning to burn up. His head is feeling warm."

Jared nodded and responded, "I saw him collapse in pain. I ran to go get my medical bag. The two of you have been working for over ten hours. It's no wonder he's hurting. I am just surprised it took him this long before he allowed the pain through."

"He's stubborn," Murdock answered. "However, if you were a beautiful woman, he'd be milking it right now. You're lucky."

"You can stop talking about me as if I am not here," Face said. "I said I'm fine."

Jared replied, "I think you're right about him beginning to burn up. I can give you something that will help with the fever. Hopefully, it will keep it from getting worse, but if you allow yourself to keep up this pace, you're going to make yourself sick. Just take it easy and allow me and your friend to pick up the slack."

Face tried to object, but Murdock interrupted him as he responded, "I'll make sure he does just that. Thank you, Doctor."

"No problem," Jared answered as Face drank the medicine that Jared had handed him. "I'll be back to check on you in a while. I have to go take care of a few of the kids right now. Bye."

"I appreciate your concern, Murdock," Face said as Jared walked off. "But I promise you, I'll be fine."

"You will be if you just listen to what Jared told you," Murdock replied. "Now, let's get back to work before one of the guards come back. I'll take over the hammering. You never were very good at it anyway."

After another hour, those who have been working were finally released and ordered to go back to the cell. Murdock helped Face walk back and when they arrived, Cadao ran over to them and wrapped his arms around Face.

Face moaned in pain as he did so and Cadao quickly let go of him as he said, "I'm sorry, Face. I saw you fall down in pain, but the guards wouldn't let me come back to you. He pushed me forward when I tried to stop pushing the cart. Are you ok?"

Face nodded and answered, "I'm just fine, Kid. What about you? You're bleeding."

"My hands hurt," Cadao responded. "Some of the rocks are sharp. I have a few cuts from them on my hands."

"Jared will be here in a few minutes," said one of the oldest boys in the group. "He is finishing up some of his work that he fell behind on because he was too busy taking care of this liar."

Face looked up at the young man standing in front of him and asked, "I beg your pardon?"

The boy answered, "You promised Cadao and the rest of these children that you were going to free us, but you won't keep that promise."

"What makes you think that we won't help you to get out of here, uhh…?" Murdock asked.

"My name is Sam," the boy replied. "I am twenty-one years old and I have been here since I was fourteen. I have been here longer than everyone else here. A few other adults were brought here to work and they all said they promised to get us out of here, but none of them have. They either died, or they started to work for Rick and his men. They sold us out. They lied to us. What makes you different than any of them?"

Face started to rise to his feet with Murdock's help as he answered, "I would never sell you kids out and neither would my friend. We have friends that are looking for us as we speak. Once they find us we will escape, together."

Sam shouted angrily in reply, "Others have said the same thing! You're no different from them! The two of you are planning an escape for yourselves. I heard you. Even if you do manage to get out of here, which I doubt you will because no one else has, you will not come back for us. You don't understand what it's like to have no one miss you or care about you. We are all alone and no one cares, except for us. Nothing you can say will make me believe otherwise."

Face started to go after Sam as he walked out of the cell and started working his shift, but Jared walked in and said, "Just let Sam go. He's a bit hot tempered. I've only been here a few hours longer than you two have, but according to some of the other kids, he keeps to himself all the time. He prefers it that way, but he helps the younger kids with their work all the time."

"Sam hardly talks at all," one of the older girls added. "Sam has been very helpful to me and many of the others. We look up to him."

"Face and Murdock are different than the other men who promised to help us," Cadao responded. "They will save us."

Face looked over at Murdock and then sat back down slowly. He lowered his head into his hands. Murdock saw the sadness in his friend's eyes and the look of defeat that he had only seen in him one other time. That was back in Vietnam when he and Hannibal were taken and held prisoners in a prison camp. Face had been beaten pretty severely and had given up the hope that he would ever get out of there alive.

"Don't worry, Little Brother," Murdock said as he sat down next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "We are going to get out of here. All of us will, together."


	7. Chapter 7

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Seven

Meanwhile…

Once Hannibal and BA had left their latest home in Los Angeles, they decided to start their search for their friends down in San Diego because they knew that was where Face and Murdock were heading. Then, they would continue to work backwards from San Diego to where they had split off on their way home from their last case.

Before they all left from the Hick's home, Face had told Hannibal and BA that he had set up a business deal with a young woman and her father who owned a night club that was about to go under. Face had some great ideas to help pick up the place and in doing so, would become an equal partner and owner. Hannibal believed that this would be the best place to begin their search.

Once they arrived in San Diego, it was really late. It took quite a while for them to drive from the Hick's home back to Los Angeles. The first thing they did was check into a hotel room so they could get some sleep. They knew that the next few days were going to be long and it was too late to go to the club now. So, they decided to go first thing in the morning. They would be no good to their friends if they were half dead on their feet.

After they awoke, Hannibal and BA drove to the club. Once they arrived, they walked inside and sat down at the bar to order a couple of drinks, hoping that they could get the information that they were looking for from the bartender.

"Hello, Gentlemen!" the woman said as they sat down. "You're a bit early for a drink, aren't you? What can I do for you?"

"We were hoping we could get some information from you," Hannibal replied with a smile. "We are looking for a Rebecca Johnson or her father, Patrick Johnson. Are they here right now by any chance?"

The woman behind the bar looked at the men in front of her curiously and responded, "I'm Rebecca. My father isn't here right now. He had to go talk to someone about some wine for our bar. What can I help you with?"

Hannibal pulled out a picture from his coat pocket and said, "We are looking for a couple of friends of ours. One of them is this man. He told us that he was going to come down here to talk about a new partnership with you and your father. His name is Templeton Peck. Did he come by earlier with another friend by any chance?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Rebecca answered. "Templeton was supposed to come by last night to talk with me and my father about closing our business deal, but he never showed up. He seemed so excited about the ideas we came up with for this place. I was surprised that he never came. Is he all right?"

"I wish that I knew," Hannibal replied. "We were hoping that you would have some idea as to where he and our other friend are. We will keep looking and get back to you when we find out something. I hope that this doesn't make him look bad to you and that you and your father don't reconsider making him a partner. He's a good kid and his ideas will do wonders for this place, I'm sure of it."

Rebecca smiled and responded, "Thank you Mr. uh…"

Hannibal replied, "Smith, Hannibal Smith. This is our friend BA."

"Thank you, Mr. Smith and BA," Rebecca said again. "Tell Templeton when you find him that he will be welcome to join us anytime. I hope that you find him and your other friend and that they're all right."

"Thank you for your help, Miss," BA said as he and Hannibal got up off the bar stool and left the club. "So, what are we going to do now, Hannibal? They never made it here. That means they could have stopped anywhere for gas along the way from where ever it was we split off. That's a lot of ground to cover."

Hannibal sighed as he lit up a cigar and answered, "I know. And our contacts came up with nothing too. It appears that they've dropped off the face of the Earth. We know that Face would have taken the most direct route here, which means he would have come the shortest way possible."

BA looked at a map as they got back into his van and responded, "That means he would have driven through mostly desert and would have passed through only small towns that are miles apart from each other. Face and Murdock may have stopped off in any one of them to fill up on gas. Do you suppose it's possible that someone saw Face's car and decided to steal it? As you said earlier, it's not like them to not call us, especially if they got into some trouble. They may be hurt or in trouble."

"I think your right, BA," Hannibal replied. "We need to get going and find them as soon as possible. Let's go."

Back inside the mine…

After trying to sleep for the last few hours the best that they could, Face, Murdock, and the other children who had worked along with them woke in time for the guards to give them something to eat.

Murdock sat in the middle of the children inside their cell as he told them wild and crazy stories. Some of them were just made up stories about things such as Billy, his invisible dog. Then, he also told stories about his adventures he got to go on with the A-Team and the wild scams that he and Face liked to pull off together. The children loved listening to him and they laughed harder than they had in a very long time.

Face listened to Murdock's stories for a little while, but ended up drifting off as he thought about the things that Sam had said to him earlier. He couldn't blame the boy for feeling that way. He knew what it was like to feel that way himself. He was never adopted and he never really had any good friends. It wasn't until he fell in love with Leslie Bektall that he had found someone who actually cared about him. Then, he met Hannibal, BA, and Murdock, who made him forget he was alone most of his life.

Murdock noticed that Face sat alone and was oblivious to what was happening around him. He also knew why. He knew that the things Sam had said to him earlier had hurt him pretty badly. He had tried to console him, but nothing he said made Face feel any better.

A short time later, Jared was escorted back to the cell by one of the guards and was given some water to share with the rest of those inside. He gave it to the children and Murdock first. Then, the doctor walked over and sat down in front of Face in order to check him over and to once again change the bandages around his chest.

The gesture startled Face as Jared spoke up saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to make sure you're all right. How are you feeling?"

Face looked at him and answered, "I'm fine, Doc."

"No, you're not really," Jared replied. "The medicine I've given you is only keeping your temperature from rising. The fever isn't going away and it won't until we can get out of here and get you treated properly."

"Murdock and I are trying to come up with something," Face responded. "However, there are way too many armed men out there for the two of us to take care of on our own. Our friends will be here soon enough."

Jared nodded and said as he finished bandaging Face's chest, "For what it's worth, I believe you."

Then, he stood up and went over to take care of some of the other children who were either beginning to get sick or had gotten hurt in some way. Face stared after the man as he walked away and thought about what he just said. The words gave Face some hope that maybe they would get out of there without anything worse happening.


	8. Chapter 8

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Eight

The next day, Face and Murdock were once again working throughout the mine. However, they were not working together any longer. Rick had a feeling that they may be trying to come up with some escape plan and he didn't want them near each other.

Face worked with Cadao and with a few of the other children, as did Murdock. Jared worked the same shift, but he not only did some of the mining, he also walked throughout the mine looking for those who needed him for any medical reasons. He kept pretty busy. One of the children that worked with them had become dehydrated and could not keep working. So, Sam took over for him, even though he had only gotten off his shift a few hours ago.

Sam worked alongside Murdock in silence. Murdock kept watching him and saw that even though his features seemed hard, he had a surprising amount of compassion despite the years of being forced to work in this terrible place. Sam did take care of the other children and he did it without any complaints. The other children loved him despite the fact that he rarely spoke to anyone.

Murdock moved closer to Sam and said, "You know, those things you said earlier to my friend were not true."

Sam looked over at Murdock and asked, "What part?"

"Everything," Murdock answered. "Face was telling the truth about finding a way to get us out of here. We need to find a way to escape so that we can find them and bring them back here to help each of you get out of here. And as for the rest of what you said, Face understands how you feel better than anyone. He was an orphan too and he never had anyone who really cared for him until he met me and our friends. He was abandoned by the two people that should have loved him the most when he was just an innocent baby. He's more like you than you realize. Don't judge him without getting to know him. We will get you and the other children out of here."

"Even if what you say is true, what will happen to us when we do get out of here?" Sam asked. "We have nowhere to go, but back to the orphanage. Who will run it? The warden is crooked and so are most of the others in this town."

Murdock responded, "My friends and I have contacts and other friends in high places. We'll find a place for you and the others where you will be safe and happy. You're an adult now and can do whatever it is that you want to do. You'll be free to see the world if you want to."

Sam replied, "I've lived my whole life with these kids. I'd prefer to stay with them. They're my family."

"That sounds wonderful," Murdock answered. "It will happen. Now, I'd go try to talk with Faceman over there if I were you. You should really get to know him. He's a good man."

"We'll see," Sam said as he walked away.

Nearby, Face was sitting on the ground digging through the pile of rock and dirt that had piled up after chiseling and hammering away at the wall next to him. He was searching for more gold. Cadao stood next to him as he continued hammering at the wall.

As they worked, Cadao asked Face to tell him more stories of the missions the A-Team had gone on together. He was fascinated by the things that they did every day. After a while, Cadao asked Face the one question that he wasn't sure how to answer.  
"How did you come together?" Cadao asked. "I mean, why do you do these things?"

"That's a long story, Kid," Face answered.

Cadao responded, "We have time. Please tell me."

Face looked up at him and replied, "I guess we do. We met in Vietnam, actually; during the war. For some reason, we clicked right away, despite our differences. I mean, BA, he isn't the friendliest guy, but he'll protect those he cares about no matter what. Hannibal, he's a genius when it comes to forming a plan or escape. He's gotten us out of a lot of tight spots. And Murdock, well he's just crazy, but he's the one person that I can count on more than anyone else."

"Murdock said you all were wanted by the police," Cadao said. "Why?"

"Because we were accused of doing some bad things," Face answered. "But we didn't commit those crimes. It's just that no one believes us, except for the people we help. If we are caught, then we'll be killed. So, we are on the run and do what we can to protect people because we are the only ones willing to do whatever it takes to protect them against scum like the men here. We keep hoping that what we do will prove that we are innocent, but we've been on the run for over ten years now. I don't think we'll ever be cleared."

Cadao stopped working and looked at Face as he responded, "I believe you are innocent."

Face smiled at the boy and replied, "That means a lot. May I ask you something? How did you end up in the orphanage? Did you ever know your parents?"

"My parents died when I was nine," Cadao answered. "They were killed in a car accident. I miss them."

"I'm sorry," Face said. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's ok," Cadao responded as he started to work again. "Why does Murdock call you Face? What is your real name?"

Face replied, "My name is Templeton Peck. My friends call me Face because I use my charm and good looks to get us whatever we need, like a place to stay or a truck to help us out during a mission."

Cadao said, "I want a cool name like yours."

Face answered, "Cadao is a great name. I have many names. It can be very easy to lose myself in them. Stick with the one you have. You should be proud of it."

Cadao was about to say something, but before he could he suddenly cried out in pain as one of the rocks that broke away from the wall cut a very large and deep gash in his hand. Face stood as quickly as he could and put pressure over the wound.

"Murdock!" Face shouted as he looked around for his friend. "Where's Jared? Find him, quickly!"

"You got it!" Murdock shouted back as he raced off to find the doctor.

Cadao collapsed into Face's arms as he felt dizzy from the blood loss. Face held him and begged him to hold on. Jared, Murdock, and Sam all raced over to them a minute later and Jared went to work on the wound. He placed a rag over it in order to try to stop the bleeding. Once he managed to do so, he asked Murdock to grab him some water to help clean the wound and then asked him to pull out a needle and thread from his bag.

Face continued to hold him while Jared stitched up the wound and finally wrapped a bandage over it. Cadao had fallen unconscious before Jared had begun to stitch him up, which Face was grateful for.

Once Jared was done, Face finally asked, "Is he going to be all right?"

Jared nodded and answered, "He's going to be fine, thanks to you. He just won't be able to work anymore for awhile. I suppose that's one good thing about this. He shouldn't have to work like this anyway. He's way too young."

"None of these kids should have to work like this," Face responded. "We need to get them out of here."

"Don't worry," Murdock replied. "We will get them all out of here."

Sam spoke up as he said, "You better be right about that. If you're wrong, we're all going to end up dead."

Jared and Sam took Cadao from Face's arms and carried him back to their cell. Face stood up again and Murdock walked over to stand next to him. Murdock saw the sadness in Face's eyes and tried to reassure him that Cadao would be all right.

"I know he will," Face answered. "He's a tough kid. It's my fault that he's even here. I should have fought harder to make sure he got away from the thugs. I might have a plan to get us out of here. I just need to think it through more thoroughly to make sure that no one will get hurt in the process. I can't risk anyone else getting hurt because of me."

As soon as he finished saying that, he walked away and left Murdock standing there alone. Murdock shook his head and wondered how Face could manage to blame himself for something like this. Then, as he slowly walked off to continue working, he whispered a prayer.

"God, if you're seeing this, I ask that you get Hannibal and BA here as soon as possible," he said. "Face doesn't deserve to feel blame for everything that's happened. We need help."


	9. Chapter 9

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Nine

As Jared had said, Cadao was going to be fine. He woke up a short time later to find Face sitting nearby, but he was not able stay awake for very long. He was very tired and dizzy from the amount of blood he had lost from the wound in his hand.

Once they all had finished their long shift, Face took his dinner from the guards and remained by Cadao's side. Jared changed the bandage that covered the gash as soon as he finished working and then walked over to where Murdock stood. Although, Murdock didn't notice the doctor as he walked over to him.

Murdock was concentrating on the guy who seemed to be in charge of this whole operation as he came out and started yelling at three of his men. He was far enough away that Murdock couldn't quite make out what was being said.

"What do you suppose that was all about?" Jared asked as Rick walked away and the guards got back to keeping their eyes on the children working.

"I'm not really sure," Murdock answered.

"I've been observing these guys too," Face added as he walked over to join them. "Rick seems to be extremely anxious about something. I think that he's bored and getting tired of living this life, or at the very least, tired of doing the same thing day after day. I think he's looking for something that will give him more excitement."

Murdock asked, "You don't think that being filthy rich and in charge of everyone in this entire town by keeping them in fear of him and his men is good enough for him anymore?"

Face replied, "No, I don't."

Jared added, "Everyone in this town seemed to keep quiet and to themselves and now I know why, but I can't imagine that there was never once anyone who cared about what happened to all these children."

Murdock replied, "Maybe there were once. Maybe Rick and his men took care of them in one way or another. Faceman, you said that the warden was even crooked, right?"

"Yeah," Face answered. "He's being paid off by Rick and just stood by and watched as Rick's men were beating me the other day. I don't think we'll have any help from anyone once we get out of here. Hopefully Hannibal and BA are close by to help us out. We're going to need it. As I said, Rick's losing patience and soon he's going to become violent toward us, most importantly, the children."

"Rick and a few of his men leave everyday around noon to go somewhere and they come back about two hours later," one of the girls said as she walked over to them. "While the guards are busy watching the rest of us, the room is unguarded and I can sneak into the room where they stay and sleep to see if there is something to help us to escape."

Face responded, "That's a good idea, Sweetheart, but you won't be the one to go in there."

Jared agreed as he replied, "That's right. I'll do it. I can slip by the guards easier than you or even she can."

"I can try to distract the guards so that there will be no chance of them interrupting you," Murdock added.

"How are you going to do that?" Jared asked.

Face answered, "Murdock's the master of distraction. His insanity has its advantages."

About two hours later…

Just as the girl said, around noon, Rick and his men left for whatever reason, leaving the room where they hang out in unguarded. Face, Murdock, and Jared all turned to look at each other and nodded, giving the ok to begin their plan. Murdock walked away from them and then began to run around screaming at the top of his lungs about ghosts and spirits. Each of the guards turned to watch him as he ran past them, allowing Jared to slip past them all unnoticed.

Two of the guards grabbed a hold of Murdock to try to get him to calm down and find out what it was that was causing him to scream so hysterically. Murdock kept screaming for a few minutes and then one of the guards slapped him across the face to try to calm him down.

As soon as the guard did so and Murdock stopped, the man asked, "What on earth are you screaming about? There is nothing there."

Still in his rant, Murdock answered, "The ghosts of the children and the others you all killed in this place, I can see them. They haunt me! They will kill us all if we stay! I don't want to die!"

Face walked over to them and cut in saying, "I'm sorry, Gentlemen! I am this man's psychiatrist. He's been seeing ghosts for years, ever since the war in Vietnam. This man needs to be in a hospital. He and I were driving to one in Los Angeles when we were brought here by your pals."

Face noticed that several of the men were looking around at each other nervously and then back at him and Murdock as one of them asked, "You don't really believe he sees these ghosts, do you?"

"Are you superstitious?" Face asked in response to the guard's question. "Don't worry, Gentlemen. I am sure that everything he says is just ranting caused by post-traumatic stress, but if any of you has any doubts then, I suggest that you leave right away. If there is a chance that what he says is true, you could all be dead very soon. I'll just escort him back to his cell if one of you would be so kind as to relieve us of our duties and unlock the cell door."

Face suggested that the guards escort him and Murdock back to their cell as soon as he noticed Jared slip back out of the room and walk away to continue doing his work. Murdock continued screaming about the ghosts all the way back to the cell and once they were back in and the guards disappeared out of sight, he quit his rant and smiled at Face.

"Nice job on our latest scam, Faceman!" Murdock said. "I knew that you haven't lost your touch, no matter how hard things get."

"I couldn't have done it without, Howling Mad Murdock," Face replied. "You never cease to amaze me. Now, hopefully Jared found something inside their room that could be of some kind of help to us. A key to these chains around our wrists would be nice."

"Have faith, Little Brother," Murdock answered. "We'll get out of here very soon and then you'll be able to change into something more comfortable."


	10. Chapter 10

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Ten

Jared walked back to the cell a little over an hour later after checking over some of the children who needed his help with their injuries, to find Face and Murdock sitting and listening to Cadao and some of the other children telling stories of their own. While Murdock was adding voices to the children's tales, Jared noticed that Face was concentrating on what looked to be whittling something. As he entered the cell, he saw it was a spoon that he seemed to be reshaping into something else.

Everyone turned to look at him as he entered as Murdock stood up and asked, "So, what did you find in the room? Did you find us something useful to help us escape?"

Jared looked at Murdock and replied, "You certainly don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"I'm just real anxious to get out of here and I am sure everyone else is too," Murdock responded. "So, don't keep us in suspense, Buddy. What'd you find?"

"Well, I wasn't able to find something to help us get out of this godforsaken mine, but if you guys can get us out, then these might be of some use to get you to your friends on the outside," Jared answered as he pulled out the keys to Face's corvette and tossed them to Face."

Face reached up to catch the keys with his right hand and managed to do so, but as soon as he did, he gave a small cry of pain and quickly grabbed his side in pain. Jared and Murdock both ran over to where he sat as Jared reached out to lift his shirt in order to get a look at his chest. As he did, he noticed large and small bruises all across Face's chest, due to the severe beating he received almost two days ago now.

Jared looked directly at the handsome con man's face and noticed that his skin was clammy and he was sweating. He ran his hands across Face's chest in order to feel his ribs and in doing so, he confirmed his fears.

Jared asked, "How long have you been keeping the fact that your fever and the pain are getting worse? Have you been taking the medicine I've been giving you?"

Face replied, "I took the medicine you first gave me, but yesterday you left your medical bag here when you were working and I saw that you were running low on supplies. I put what you gave me last night back in the bag so that you'd have it for the children. They need it more than I do."

"Right now, you're the one who needs it, Face," Murdock responded.

"And so do many of these kids, Murdock," Face answered sharply. "Just look around and tell me you wouldn't do the same thing if it was you in my position. I know you would. So would both Hannibal and BA."

Jared said, "I was going to talk to Rick about getting some more medical supplies today. I…"

"You can't go to Rick about getting more medical supplies," Face interrupted forcefully. "He's bored and angry and I have a feeling, he's going to snap at any time. You going to him may be the cause of that trigger. You can't ask him for anything. We need to get out of here. Hannibal and BA will be here once we do that and I have been working on something that may help us. I just need to finish it."

Jared asked, "What exactly is that?"

Face responded, "It's a lock pick, or it's going to be a lock pick. As I said, it's not finished."

"You're turning your spoon into a lock pick?" Jared asked surprisingly.

"Faceman knows everything there is to know about lock picks," Murdock replied. "He's like Harry Houdini. We've got a new scam being cooked up as well. It will be our greatest performance of all time!"

Face turned to Murdock and responded, "Really? I don't know Murdock. We've pulled some really great scams in the past. I think both of us have earned at least a couple of Oscars for our performances."

Murdock nodded in agreement saying, "You're probably right, but this one will be pretty great."

"I can't wait to see you guys in action!" Cadao said in excitement as he walked over to sit beside Face.

Everyone laughed as Face began to talk quietly with Cadao. After a few minutes of watching the two of them together, Murdock pulled Jared aside so that Face would not be able to overhear their conversation.

"So Doc, how is Face really?" he asked.

"He is putting on a brave face for you and especially the kids, but his fever is getting worse and the amount of work he is forcing himself through is not allowing his ribs to heal. If I can't get more medicine in him…"

Murdock replied, "Don't worry! We will be out of here and then he'll be right as rain. We all will."

Jared got up and called a guard over to the cell to unlock the door, so that he could once again walk around the mine to see if there was anyone who needed his help. Not too long after, he slipped out of sight from those inside the cell and went over to the room once again to go and speak with Rick.

When Rick noticed Jared standing just outside the room where he sat behind a large desk, he gave the ok signal for him to walk inside. It was the same desk that Jared had found the keys to Face's corvette in. As he did, Jared noticed that Jack, the town's sheriff, and Brian, the warden of the orphanage was there as well.

Brian was the first to speak as Jared walked in as he said, "Jared, it's good to see your all right!"

Jared glared at the warden and replied, "I am far from all right, Brian. The same goes for all of these kids you sold to him. Don't pretend to be concern for my well-being. We're no longer friends like I believed you to be."

"What exactly do you want, Doctor?" Rick said as he interrupted the mens' conversation. "As you can see, I was in the middle of a meeting."

"I'm running very low on medicine and other medical supplies," Jared answered. "Some of the children and one of the men you brought in here a few days ago are sick and they need what little help I can give them if they are going to survive in this place. Please, send some of your men with me into town so that I can get what I need."

Rick chuckled and responded, "I am afraid that's not going to be necessary."

Jared replied, "Of course it's necessary. You may not care whether we live or die, but I do. It is my responsibility to take care of these people."

"And it is my responsibility to take care myself and my personal affects," Rick said angrily. "I know that you were in here while me and my men were out. I've got a hidden camera in here. You took something that belongs to me; the keys to my new car? Did you give it back to its previous owner?"

Jared was about to say something, until Rick suddenly pulled a gun out from underneath his desk and pointed it at him. Jared slowly began to back up toward the exit of room. However, it was blocked by another one of Rick's men.

Brian stepped forward and said, "Whoa, Rick! Look, you said years ago that these kids would be taken care of and Jared is only trying to do that. I don't want to be a part of anyone's death. Please, don't do this!"

Rick looked over at him and answered, "You're already a part of all of this, Brian. But don't worry, you don't have to be anymore."

As soon as he said it, Rick quickly turned the gun on Brian and fired once. The shot hit him right in the chest, killing him instantly. Then, he turned the gun back on Jared and fired it for a second time. The second shot was just as successful as the first.

Both shots were heard from inside the cell. Face and Murdock stood quickly in front of all of the children and tried to see where the shots were fired from. Even though they couldn't see anything, they both had a feeling that they knew what had happened. Unfortunately, their suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when they saw two of the guards carry Jared's body through the mine and order two of the children to join them in taking care of him.

Face and Murdock's first reactions was shock, but anger quickly set in, especially in Face. Face suddenly punched one of the bars inside the cell. Murdock quickly grabbed a hold of Face to stop him from doing it again.

"Face, stop!" Murdock said forcefully. "You're already hurt badly enough from what they've done to you. You don't need to add to it. Punching these bars isn't going to help anything."

"These scumbags killed him, Murdock!" Face answered angrily. "They killed him because I've taken too long with coming up with a plan to get out of here. He probably went to Rick to ask him for the medical supplies despite what I said."

Murdock stood in front of his friend and replied, "He felt obligated to protect these kids and you and needed to do what he could to try to get the medical supplies. He knew the risks because you warned him. This is not your fault!"

Face shook his head and responded, "Maybe not, but I should have come up with a plan a long time ago. If Hannibal were here, he would have and we would all be safe by now. Every time I've come up with something, I was too afraid of one of these kids getting hurt because of me. I couldn't do it this time and now Jared is dead."

"Face, look I…"

"I have a plan now to get you out of here," Face said as he interrupted.

"Don't you mean a plan to get us out of here?"

Face replied, "I'm staying behind to protect these children until you get back with Hannibal and BA. You can sneak out of here in one of the carts when the kids take it out to dump the rock and dirt into the pit. Take the keys and as soon as you get the chance to run to my car, get out of here."

Murdock shook his head and responded, "You are in no shape to stay behind to protect these kids, Face. Your plan is great, but I'm the one who's going to stay behind to look after them. You're going to go find Hannibal and BA."

"No, I have to do this, Murdock. This is something I have to do. They had Jared, but now he's gone. I'm all they've got left. Please just go and get back here as soon as you can. Rick's anger is going to escalate and the kids will pay next."

"Fine, I'm going to find the guys and bring them back here, but don't do anything stupid. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you, Murdock!"


	11. Chapter 11

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Eleven

Face quickly finished the lock pick he had been making from his spoon and used it to unlock the chains from around Murdock's wrists. Once that was finished, he went over to the lock on the cell door and unlocked it as well. They knew they had to hurray and get Murdock out of there, especially in case Rick and his men discover the keys to his corvette missing and decide to confront them about it.

Murdock opened the cell door and before he ran off to find a near empty cart to escape from the mine in, he quickly turned back one more time to look at Face, who only nodded. Murdock returned the gesture with a nod of his own and ran.

After a few minutes, Murdock saw Sam and two of the smaller children loading one of the carts and saw that they were just beginning the load. It was perfect for what he had in mind. Murdock ran over to them and quickly explained what he needed them to do.

"I need you to listen to me carefully," he began. "I'm getting out of here so that I can bring back help. As soon as I get in this cart, I need you guys to cover me with dirt so that the guards won't be able to tell that I'm inside. Top off the cart with some of the larger rocks to make it look full, but not too many. Then, you're going to wheel the cart out to the pit like normal and try to get me as close to the cars that are parked out there as possible, without giving yourself away. We're all getting out of here today."

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Sam asked. "What if Rick and the others catch you or discover that you're missing. We're going to get in trouble."

Murdock looked down and then replied, "Face is staying behind and he'll do everything that he can to protect you should something happen. He's a strong fighter, even when he's hurt. I just hope it won't come to that."

Murdock got into the cart and just as he told them to do, they began to fill it with dirt and topped it off with the bigger pieces of the rock. Then, the three children wheeled the cart out to the pit and waited until they were sure that they were not being watched when Sam whispered loud enough so that Murdock could hear him, that the coast was clear.

He snuck out and quietly, but quickly ran over to Face's car and was about to open the driver's side door, when one of the guards came around the corner to smoke. Murdock hid in front of the car and waited for the guy to go back to wherever he came from. As soon as he was gone, Murdock got inside the car, looked at Sam and the others as they dumped their load into the pit through the rearview mirror, and turned the ignition with the keys.

Finally, he sped off and as soon as he did so, the guards began to shoot at him, hoping to hit the tires to stop him. However, they were unsuccessful and Murdock was able to escape. Most of the guards, who were in charge of guarding the entrance to the mine, quickly got into the cars that were left behind and began to take off after him.

Murdock knew that the guards would be coming after him and so he accelerated and drove as fast as he could down the road, hoping that they wouldn't catch up to him too soon. It was then that he remembered about the phone inside the car and quickly picked it up to dial the phone inside BA's van. Murdock just hoped that Hannibal and BA were inside it looking for them at that moment.

Meanwhile…

Hannibal and Murdock had been driving from town to town for two days and they were still unsuccessful in finding any kind of clue that would lead them to finding their missing friends.

They pulled over twice on the side of the road in order to rest, just long enough so that they could keep looking without falling over. Both of them were exhausted and weary, but they didn't want to rest long until Face and Murdock were safe.

"Where on earth could they be, Hannibal?" BA asked angrily. "We've searched dozens of towns between here and San Diego and we are no closer to finding them. I hate to admit it, but I worried about Face and even that crazy fool. They could be dead."

"They aren't dead, BA," Hannibal replied. "We'd know it if they were. They're out here somewhere and we're going to find them. Then, we'll make whoever is responsible for their disappearance pay for whatever they've done to them."

BA was about to respond, when suddenly his phone rang. Both Hannibal and BA turned to look at each other in surprise and hoped that this call would lead them to where Face and Murdock were. Finally, Hannibal reached down in order to answer it.

Murdock responded, "Oh, thank God, Colonel. It is so good to hear your beautiful voice. Listen, I'm in Face's car driving toward the town of Bluewater, CA. I'll explain everything when I see you, but you need to get here as soon as possible. I sure hope your close. Face and lots of children are in big trouble and I am being chased. I have no idea how long it will take for them to catch up to me, but when I get into the town, I will have no help from the townspeople. They're all crooked or too scared to go up against the tyrant running things here."

Hannibal whispered the name of the town to BA, who began to drive faster, and answered, "It's good to finally hear from you too, Murdock. Thanks for the information. Don't worry, we are not too far from you. We'll be there as quickly as we can. Just hang tight."

"Oh, and Colonel," Murdock said quickly before he hung up. "I need you to call Maggie from Bad Rock and have her get here as soon as she can. We're going to need her pretty badly."

"Will do, Captain," Hannibal replied. "Just worry about getting yourself someplace safe until we get to you. Bye."

Hannibal hung up the phone and began to dial Maggie's number as he spoke to BA saying, "Go as fast as you can, BA. They're in a lot of trouble."

BA sped up even faster and responded, "You got it, Hannibal."


	12. Chapter 12

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Twelve

Once Murdock had left the mine, Face turned to the rest of the children inside the cell and told them that they needed to go throughout the mine and begin working so that they would be able to blend in with the rest of the children who were already working. Face overheard the guards yelling about an escape and he worried about Rick's reaction to the news. He didn't want any of the kids to get hurt just because they were in the way.

Then, he walked over to Cadao, who stood and was about to go out with the rest of the children, and said, "You're still not in any condition to work again. I don't want to risk the wound on your hand opening up again. I won't know what to do if it does. Murdock will be back with our friends any time now. Until then, just make it look like you're doing something in case one of the guards comes nearby."

Cadao nodded and asked, "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine," Face answered. "I'm going to keep my eye on things to make sure that the rest of you stay safe. Don't worry, just go and be careful."

"You be careful too," Cadao replied as he reached up and put his arms around Face's neck in a hug.

Face smiled as he watched Cadao run off with the other children. Then, he quickly became somber and headed off to try to learn of Rick's whereabouts. However, he didn't have far to go as he saw the man and two of his men walking fast and angrily toward the cell that they were all once inside of. Face hid around the corner from the cell and tried to listen to their conversation as Rick began to yell at his men when he found the cell to be empty.

Rick shouted, "Where is everyone? How did they all manage to escape? This is impossible!"

One of his men responded, "Sir, they couldn't have all escaped. Only the crazy guy did. We would have known it if a bunch of the kids ran out of the mine. They must be working with the other children who were already. We could do…"

"I want you to spread out and find me the crazy man's friend," Rick interrupted. "Find the man and bring him to me. Then, I want you and the rest of the men to gather up the gold and money we have gathered and load it up into the truck outside. We are finished here in this crummy town."

"What about the children?" another one of the men asked. "What would you like us to do with them?"

"I don't care about these brats any longer," Rick answered. "By tonight, they will no longer be my concern and neither will this mine. We are going to blow them both up once we are a safe distance and then leave once and for all."

Suddenly Sam walked over to them angrily after coming in from outside to overhear their conversation and shouted, "You can't do that to all of these innocent kids!"

Rick turned toward him and responded, "I can do whatever I want. No one cares about you and I will not have any of you escape, so that you can find someone who will try to stop me."

Sam smiled and replied, "You're too late. Someone already has escaped and is on his way to find his friends. They will stop you!"

"Kill him," Rick said to one of his men as he began to walk off. "And find me the hero, now!"

One of Rick's men grabbed a hold of Sam as he tried to run away from them, as the other thug aimed his gun and was about to shoot the young man, when all of a sudden Face came from out behind the wall he was hiding around and knocked the gun from the thug's hand. He elbowed the same man hard in the stomach and kicked the other guy in the head to get them to attack him and leave Sam alone.

"Run and hide, now!" Face shouted to Sam who quickly did as he was told.

Face managed to knock one of his attackers' unconscious, but he was having a hard time fighting off both Rick and the other thug. Two of the guards saw the fight between the stranger and their boss and ran over to join them against Face.

After a few minutes, they had finally overpowered Face and the two guards pushed him down onto his knees while Rick wiped off the blood that was now coming from his mouth. Face got in a few good shots, one that was hard enough to knock out two of his teeth. Face struggled to get his breath back.

Rick glared at the man kneeling on the ground in front of him and before saying anything, he swung his arm and backhanded Face hard across the Face. His whole body hurt worse than ever, but Face refused to show the pain he was in. He knew that he never should have tried to attack Rick and the others because of how sick and hurt he already was, but they would have killed Sam if he hadn't have stepped in.

Rick spoke up first as he asked, "You think you are pretty brave, don't you?"

Face looked up at him with a grin and answered, "I certainly like to think so. I usually like to talk to people in hopes of avoiding a fight, but as you can imagine, that doesn't happen very often. Besides, men who force children, who have no one to look after them, to work as slaves are usually pretty unreasonable because they are the foulest kinds of people on the Earth. I've dealt with a lot of dirtbags like you and believe me when I say that you are one of the worst I have ever come across."

"How did your friend manage to escape?" Rick asked. "He will not live long enough to find someone to help you or these children. My men will find him and kill him. Then, by tonight you will all be dead."

"You underestimate my friends, Rick," Face replied. "People always do and we always win the big fight."

"Not this time," Rick responded and then turned to his men. "Take this hero to one of the rooms in the back of this mine and chain him up. We're going to make him pay for his insolence and I will enjoy doing so. Inform me the moment my men get back from killing his crazy friend and bring me his body. I want to see it for myself so that I know no mistakes have been made. Go!"

Two of the men dragged Face off while Rick walked away to go oversee his men's progress of gathering up his riches. As he did so, he failed to see both Sam and Cadao, who was struggling in Sam's arms, hiding behind a wall as they watched the find and conversation between Face, the murderer, and his men.

As they watched, Cadao tried to run to help Face, but Sam held him tight so that he wouldn't get himself hurt or killed. After they watched Face get dragged away, Cadao quit struggling and began to shout at Sam.

He cried, "You just stood there and watched as they hurt him! We should have helped him. He saved you! Why didn't you help him?"

Sam looked down at the boy and sadly answered, "Because he told me to run. He sacrificed himself to protect me and if you and I tried to help him, we both would have been killed. I'm sorry, Cadao. I know how much he means to you. I finally see what I refused to see in him before. Let's hope that his friends get here in time to save him and the rest of us. I am sure that they will."

"They'll be here!" Cadao replied firmly. "I know they will! They're the A-Team!"


	13. Chapter 13

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Thirteen

Meanwhile…

Murdock finally managed to make it into town and Rick's men still had yet to catch up to him. However, he also knew that Rick had men here in town as well, including the sheriff. He had no idea if there was anyone here who he could trust.

It was then that he realized the best place to hide out and wait for his friends would be in the orphanage. Before he escaped, he and Face saw the guards and a few of the children carry out the body of the orphanage's warden along with Jared's body. Murdock doubted that Rick would have found someone to replace the guy yet. Even if he did, Murdock still believed it to be the best place to be.

Murdock parked his car in front of the building and quickly opened the gulf compartment to grab the gun he knew Face always kept there in case of an emergency. When he found it, he put it in his jacket pocket, got out of the car, and entered the orphanage cautiously.

As he did so, he saw a young woman sitting in the middle of what looked to be the main room of the house, playing with three of the children who lived there. She looked like she cared for them and so he walked into the room quietly, hoping that he wouldn't startle her. She suddenly looked up at the man and stood as he entered, while pulling the children up and behind her.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, Miss, but I need your help," Murdock said quickly. "I need a place to hide and you look like a decent young woman. I promise that I won't hurt you."

"You're one of the men, whom my father helped to deliver to Rick out at the mine, aren't you?" she asked. "How did you escape?"

"My friend helped me. Your father must have been the warden, wasn't he?"

"What do you mean was the warden? Did something happen to him?"

"I'm afraid he was killed earlier this morning, by Rick. Your father sold these children to that scumbag for money. Tell me you don't approve of that?"

The young woman shook her head sadly and responded, "I never approved of it, but there was nothing I could do to stop him. If I tried, he would hit me. I'm not very brave, only ashamed."

"Well you can change that if you help me until my friends get here," Murdock replied as he held out his hand to shake hers. "My name is Murdock. What's yours?"

"You can call me Sara. These are Katie, Ben, and Jason."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Maybe when this is all over, I can show you my dog, Billy. You'll love him. He's very gentle, but also very playful."

"What exactly do you plan to do when your friends get here? You can't possibly think that you're going to be able to bring Rick and his men down, do you?"

"That's exactly what we're going to do. We've still got a friend trapped in that mine and all of those other children. We're going to save them and stop that maniac once and for all."

"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen," the sheriff said as he suddenly walked in the room, along with his deputies.

Murdock quickly pulled out the gun he hid inside his pocket and aimed it right at the sheriff as he backed up with Sara and the children behind him. Both Jack and his deputies had their guns drawn as well, but no one lowered their weapons. It had become like a Mexican standoff that Murdock had seen in some of the movies he watched while at the VA hospital.

Jack spoke up again saying, "I came in here, expecting to find Rick with Brian, but what a surprise to find you instead. How did you escape?"

Murdock just stared at the sheriff and replied, "That seems to be the million dollar question today, doesn't it? It doesn't matter how I escaped. The point is, I did and very soon you and your boss are going to sitting inside your own prison, waiting for the righteous kind of law to come and take you away from here."

"That's an excellent idea, Murdock!" a familiar voice said from behind Jack and his men.

Everyone turned around to see a silver haired man with a cigar in his mouth and a very big Black guy with lots of gold around his neck and a Mohawk. Both of them were holding much larger guns than either of the others were holding.

"Thank God! Hannibal, BA, it is so good to see you two again!" Murdock cried.

"I take it that these are a few of the scumbags we're here to bring down, am I right?" Hannibal asked as BA walked over to disarm the three men, who had slowly begun to lower their weapons once they saw that they were not going to be able to overpower Murdock or his men.

Murdock joined BA in taking their guns and responded, "Yes Sir, Colonel. We have to hurry and get back to the mine. Face was in bad shape when I left him, but he refused to come with me. I couldn't change his mind."

BA asked, "Slow down, Crazy Fool. What exactly is going on here?"

"Face and I stopped here in Bluewater to fill up Face's car with gas," Murdock began to explain more slowly. "While I did that and went to get us something to eat, Face walked over here to talk with a young Vietnamese boy who looked very upset about something. When I came out of the gas station, I saw some men drag Face out between them and then throw him into a truck. I got into Face's car to follow them, but another guy pulled a gun on me and made me drive to a mine where they are using the orphans, once they are old enough, to mine for gold. The mine is huge and these men have become filthy rich on the backs of these children. When I saw Face again, he was unconscious and pretty beaten from a fight he had while inside the orphanage. After the work from the last two days, he's gotten really sick."

"Why didn't you two escape together?" Hannibal asked.

"Because he couldn't leave the children alone with the scumbag in charge of this whole mess. The only other adult prisoner there, who was a doctor, was killed this morning when he tried to ask Rick for more medical supplies. Face blames himself and refused to leave them. He came up with the plan to help me escape and I called you as soon as I could. We have to help him and these kids, Colonel. Face won't be able to last much longer."

"Don't worry, we're going to. How many men does this Rick have guarding the entrance to the mine and then throughout it?"

"There are at least four men at the entrance and over a dozen inside. However, some of them are on the way here into town to chase after me. They will be here soon."

"Well then, let's get these gentlemen inside the prison cells like you said and then devise a plan on how we are going to rescue Face and the other children. The men coming here will be in for a surprise to find at least three guns put in their faces instead of a helpless unarmed man. Now, you said on the phone that there are several of the townspeople that are helping Rick, am I right?"

"Yeah Hannibal, I'm not sure whose with him, or not."

Sara spoke up saying, "I can help you with that. I know everyone who's involved. Not all of them are bad people, but just afraid to stand up to Rick and his men, including me. Although, I never accepted money for my silence either. Most of the people here did."

BA replied, "Then those Suckers will go to prison. I'm gonna kill anyone who would make these kids into slaves, and Face too."

"What about me, Buddy?" Murdock asked. "Were you worried about me too? Were ya? Were ya?"

"No way, Crazy Fool. I knew you were fine because you would have driven everyone else nuts with your crazy ways. I'm surprise this Rick guy even sent someone after you."

"I know you missed me. Your life would be boring without me and you know it!"

"And I would enjoy it!"

Murdock and BA continued their banter as they and Hannibal escorted Jack and his men to the jail and locked them up in the cells. As soon as the others arrived to try to recapture Murdock, they were quickly disarmed and put in the cells, joining their friends. Together, Hannibal, Murdock, and BA came up with the plan and got to work on building the things they were going to need.


	14. Chapter 14

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Fourteen

Two guards still remained outside the entrance of the mine, while the other two, who usually guarded it with them, left with a few of the other guards from inside the mine to find the escaped prisoner. These men kept a close watch on the children who came out to dump the rock and dirt into the pit. They didn't want to take any chances of another person trying to escape. Not on their watch. They feared what Rick would do to them should that happen.

A few hours after the man escaped, the white corvette with red stripe, which their boss had once claimed for himself and then was stolen by the prisoner, came driving up and stopped just a few feet away from where the guards were standing.

The guards saw that the escapee was in the driver's seat, while another man sat in the passenger's seat with a gun trained on him. The man with the gun was a short older man with a mustache and dark hair that was covered by a dark blue cap. The guards didn't recognize the man, but he was obviously one of the men who worked for Rick. They just weren't sure where the rest of the men who had gone after the prisoner were. They assumed that they were all still out searching.

The guard got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side as he ordered the prisoner to get out. Once he did as he was told, they walked over toward the guards and headed into the mine. The guard held the gun to the other man's back as they walked. One of the guards that stood just inside the mine followed them part way into the mine, but stopped when he was sure that the prisoner was well guarded.

As they walked through the mine, they paid close attention to their surroundings. As soon as they knew it was safe to talk quietly amongst themselves, Murdock spoke up saying, "Face isn't around anywhere, Hannibal. And it looks like all of the children are spread throughout the mine, not just half of them at a time like they normally are."

Hannibal replied, "What do you mean by just half of them?"

"We were split into two different shifts, each working about twelve hours. If someone couldn't work the whole time, they'd go back to the cell where the other shift waited for their time to begin work. However, it looks like all of them are out here."

"Maybe Face is still inside the cell then. You did say he was sick, right?"

"Yeah, Colonel, he was hurting pretty badly when I left. He refused to take the medicine the doctor had given him before he was killed because Face knew that he was running low. He made sure there was enough for the children for as long as possible."

Two of the guards walked over to Murdock and Hannibal as one of them asked, "You there, where are you taking this man? Rick is going to want to see him."

Hannibal, with a fake accent, answered, "We've been looking for Rick. Go and let him know that I found the prisoner who escaped as he ordered or bring us to him."

"I'll go and get him," the same guard replied. "Go put him inside the cell and wait there for us to come to you."

"I see the ghosts!" Murdock began to cry again as he did earlier with Face. "They're back. We're all going to die!"

The guards stared at them as they walked past them toward the cell, while Murdock kept up with his ranting about seeing the ghosts again. As they rounded the corner of the mine where the cell was, Hannibal and Murdock were once again alone and Murdock quit the rant. As soon as they saw the cell, they saw that it was empty as Murdock knew that it would be. All of the children were out working in the mine and Face was nowhere to be seen.

Murdock turned to Hannibal and said, "Something must have happened after I escaped from here, Hannibal! Face isn't anywhere around here."

Hannibal nodded and responded, "Don't worry, Murdock. We'll find him."

As Murdock was about to say something again, Rick and his three usual thugs came from around the corner and observed the man who claimed to have brought back the crazy man who was the handsome stranger's friend.

"Great work in finding him, uhh…" Rick said first once he believed that Hannibal could be trusted.

"The name's Jackson, Sir," Hannibal replied in his fake accent once again. "I started working here two weeks ago. The rest of the guys are still out searching somewhere. What would you like me to do with him?"

Rick walked over close to Murdock and punched him hard in the ribs. Murdock doubled over and then as he remained on the ground, he glared up at Rick. Hannibal didn't like that his friend was just hurt, but he couldn't do anything just yet to help him. They needed to stick to the plan.

"Put him inside the cage until I decide what I want done with him," Rick responded as he turned to his other men. "Go back and finish loading the van and then start putting the kids back inside this cell. I want this place to be blown by nightfall. Go!"

Murdock spoke up before Rick could say anymore as he asked, "Where's my friend?"

Rick laughed and answered, "He's paying for his insolence, as you will very shortly. You're friend is tougher than he looks and he's got this crazy idea that he will still be rescued, along with these kids. I will certainly enjoy telling him that his only chance was recaptured."

Hannibal reached down and helped Murdock up so that he could place him inside the cell, when Hannibal held up a small black box of some kind to his mouth and said, "Now, BA!"

All of a sudden, a loud blast sounded from outside the entrance of the mine, along with gunfire. Murdock sprang to his feet and started to fight two of Rick's men, while Hannibal attacked Rick and the third guy. The thugs were all knocked out, while Hannibal roughly grabbed a hold of Rick after he was beaten and shoved him up against the bars of the cell. As he held him there with one arm, Hannibal pulled off the wig and mustache and placed one of his cigars in his mouth.

"Where's our friend, Dirtbag?" Hannibal asked as he lit the cigar.

"Your friend is dead, as you both will soon be," Rick answered smugly.

Murdock looked at the man with hate in his eyes and replied, "You better pray to God that you're lying because if he really is dead, you will soon be too and I promise you that you won't die easily. Where is he?"

Hannibal shoved him harder up against the bars as more blasts and gunfire continued to erupt, now from inside the cave. Three more of Rick's men suddenly came from around the corner as Hannibal quickly pulled Rick in front of him and placed a gun at the side of his head. Murdock pulled out the gun he found in Face's car and kept it aimed at the men.

Hannibal smiled and spoke up saying, "Now, order your men to lower their weapons and walk inside the cell, all of them. They are going to learn what it's like to be behind bars where they belong. Then, you're going to take us to our friend."

Murdock picked up one of the bigger guns from the ground and ordered the guards who just came in the room to pick up and drag the unconscious ones into the cell. Once they were all secure inside, Hannibal moved out of the room with his gun still trained on Rick, who remained in front of him, while Murdock followed behind him.

As they walked throughout the mine, they saw that BA had used some of their dynamite and their smoke bombs in order to disorient the other guards. After a few minutes, they found BA taking care of a few of the guards who were trying to fight him despite the difficulty. They heard BA as he gave orders to several of the kids to run outside and get inside the now armored bus that was parked just outside the mine. They quickly did as they were told.

Murdock ran to go help a few more of the kids throughout the mine, especially those who were ill or injured. Hannibal stayed with Rick and once again told him to tell him where Face was. Again, Rick refused to cooperate.

It was then that Cadao and Sam ran over to Murdock as Cadao cried, "Murdock, I knew you'd be back! They took Face away after they hurt him again! He's in trouble, you have to help him!"

Hannibal asked, "Do you know where they've taken him?"

"I know where he is," Sam answered as he came over to them. "Follow me!"

"Cadao, go out with Big Guy here right now," Murdock said. "Don't worry, we'll find Face and be out there very soon. Go now."

BA came over next to Cadao, who took his hand, and together with the rest of the children, they all walked toward the entrance of the mine and out to the bus that was parked there as they said it would be.

The guards who were still conscious ignored their attackers as they scurried through the mine looking for a way out themselves. At the time, they didn't care about the fact that their boss was being dragged by one of the now heavily armed men. They scrambled for their own safety.

Sam led them all the way to the back of the mine and when they finally arrived, they came to an area that split off into three separate rooms. Sam led them to the far room on the left and when they walked inside, they saw something that would haunt their memories for the rest of their lives.


	15. Chapter 15

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Fifteen

Face was hanging unconsciously from the ceiling by his arms, his wrists still in the dirty and rusted shackles. His pants remained, but his shirt was gone and his feet were bare and hanging several inches off the ground, rope kept them tied together. His back was torn and bleeding heavily from lashes caused by a whip and his chest and stomach were covered in bruises, some of them dark and ugly.

Murdock raced over to where he hung and reached up to check his friend's pulse. It was very faint, but it was there. Hannibal quickly handed his gun over to Sam and asked him to keep it trained on Rick. Then, he rushed over to help Murdock get Face down. Once he was lowered, they gently laid him down on his back, so that they would not harm his ribs anymore than they already were, and Hannibal reached down to his feet to untie them. Murdock stood and went over to Rick and searched his pocket for the keys to the shackles. Rick wasn't carrying them on him and Murdock knew there was no time for them to go and search for them.

"We'll find a way to get them off later, once we get him someplace we can try to help him until Maggie gets here," Hannibal said softly. "We need to leave now. Kid, do you think that you can keep that gun trained on this Scumbag while we get ourselves out of here?"

"Not a problem, Sir," Sam replied.

Hannibal nodded and turned to Murdock as he said again, "Let's lift him as gently as we can, Murdock. We'll put his arms around our shoulders. It won't be easy for him, but it is the only way we can do it. Are you ready?"

Murdock nodded his head and responded, "Yeah, Colonel. Let's get him out of here."

They lifted him gently as they said and lifted his arms around their shoulders. Luckily, the chains dangling from the shackles were long enough for them to be able to do so. Hannibal told Sam to walk Rick out ahead of them so that they would be able to keep their eyes on him and walked toward the outside of the mine.

After struggling with carrying their friend halfway through the mine, BA finally found them again. When he saw the condition Face was in, he grabbed Rick by the throat and began to choke him for what he had done to his friend.

Hannibal shouted, "BA, stop! We need you right now. Face needs you right now. I promise you that this monster will pay, but for now, we need you to carry Face for us. Can you do that?"

BA angrily let go of Rick's neck and shoved him hard up against the wall. Then, he walked over to where his friends stood and once they had lowered Face's arms from around their shoulders, BA lifted him into his arms as if he were a small child. Murdock stayed close by to Face and BA, so that he would be there right away once they reached their transportation away from that terrible place.

Hannibal walked over to Sam and took the gun from him. Then, he grabbed Rick by the front of his shirt and roughly pulled him to his feet in order to get him walking forward once again.

Hannibal said to him angrily, "You're lucky that I didn't allow our friend to kill you. Believe me that we would have loved to, but death is too good for you. You're going to pay for what you've done."

The guards that were still around, began to fire at them as they left the mine and both Murdock and Hannibal fired back in order to cover BA and Sam who ran to the safety of the bus that they had turned into what looked like a tank, minus the large gun in front, as quickly as they could. Hannibal then covered Murdock and Sam as they got onto the bus, while he used Rick to keep himself from being fired on. Rick's men finally ceased their fire in order to prevent themselves from killing their boss. Hannibal ordered them to lower their weapons and lie down on the ground. They did as they were told.

BA to carefully lay Face down on the floor of the bus as they got inside and as he did, Cadao quickly knelt down nearby and gently touched the top of Face's head in a way of comfort. Then, BA took a seat behind the steering wheel of the bus and began to drive them toward town.

The other children that were sitting inside all turned and kept their eyes trained on them. Murdock knelt down on Face's other side and lay one of the blankets that they had gathered from in town over him to try to warm him up. Even though his fever had spiked drastically, his skin was clammy and very cold to the touch. Face's entire body was shivering, due to the pain and blood loss.

Hannibal dragged Rick over to Face's corvette and dropped him into the passenger's seat. Then, he tied the man's wrists together in order to prevent him from trying anything while Hannibal drove them back into town. Before he left, however, Hannibal pulled out one of their machine guns that they liked to carry on their missions and began shooting at the tires of the van the guards were planning on using to carry out the gold in, making it immobile.

As Hannibal got into the car and began to drive off, Rick looked over at him and said, "You and your men made a big mistake trying to bring me down. My friends will come for me, despite their cowardice now. This isn't finished."

Hannibal continued smoking his cigar, looked over at Rick as he smiled, and replied, "I don't doubt it. Actually, I am hoping that the rest of your men will come. That way, all of them will end up rotting in prison for the rest of their lives, like they deserve and we will enjoy putting them there."

"Who are you guys?" Rick asked as he stared at the man who seemed to have no fear in him.

"The name's Hannibal Smith. Once Colonel in the U.S. Army and leader of the infamous A-Team. I am sure you've heard of us."

The truth was, Rick had heard of them. Everyone has in some way or another. He just didn't know what they looked like and so he didn't know that he had captured and nearly killed one of them two days ago. Because he believed all the media hype about the types of criminals the members of the A-Team were, he admired them until now. Now, he feared them because he knew he was in a lot of trouble. Just then, a part of him wished that the tough guy had killed him.

As Hannibal had finally arrived back in town, he watched for a moment as the children were all running off of the bus and inside the orphanage to join their friends. They all remained quiet on the bus, but now that they realized they were finally free from Rick and his men, they were laughing and playing around.

Hannibal went around to the passenger's side and pulled Rick out of the car. Then, he pushed him toward the sheriff's station and placed him inside the cell along with Jack and the others. The men who were already inside the cells for awhile just stared at Hannibal as their leader was thrown inside. They couldn't believe that these men had just taken them all down.

Jack turned to Rick and asked, "What are we going to do now, Rick? Who are these guys?"

Without looking at the man, Rick replied, "They're the A-Team. The rest of my men will come to try to free us, but don't have much hope. This team always wins their fights. He was right."

"Who was right, Sir?" one of the men asked.

"The stranger we captured the other day. He said that his friends always won their battles. He was right."

Meanwhile…

Once the children were all off of the bus, BA stood up from his seat and walked over to where Face lay and Murdock sat next to him. He once again, carefully lifted his friend into his arms and together he and Murdock walked inside the orphanage. As they entered, Sara gasped at the sight of their friend and just stood there as they walked over to her.

Murdock asked quickly, "We need a private room where we can lay him down and take care of him. Where can we go?"

Sara turned her eyes away from the prone form of the handsome stranger whom she remembered him trying to protect the young Vietnamese boy just the other day. He was in much better condition then.

She looked at Murdock and responded, "There's a room just down the hallway over here. It was where my father slept. He had a very comfortable bed and there's plenty of space. Can I get you anything?"

Murdock watched as BA walked down the hallway toward the room and then turned back to Sarah as he answered, "I need you to go over to Jared's clinic and gather as much of his medicine and medical supplies as you can. Then, we're going to need lots of hot water, clean sheets, and rags."

"We'll help you, Miss," Sam said as he and Cadao walked in quietly, followed by Hannibal.

"Thank you, boys," Sara replied. "We'll be back as soon as we can. Let's go."

Murdock and Hannibal watched as the three of them left the building and then followed BA to the room where Sara had pointed to down the hall. When they got there, BA had already laid Face down on the bed and had taken a hold of his friend's hand to give him some kind of comfort, hoping that he knew they were all there for him now.

Murdock walked over to the bed and began to check over his body more closely for the numerous injuries that covered him. BA stood and backed away just a little as he and Hannibal watched Murdock as he looked Face over. It was then that they remembered that they still needed to find something to get the shackles off of his wrists.

Hannibal walked out of the room and to Face's car once again to search inside his glove compartment. He pulled out one of Face's lock picks that he had stored there and walked back inside with it.

He sat at the edge of the bed on Face's other side and began to work on prying open the lock. Hannibal didn't have nearly the lock picking skill as Face did, neither did Murdock or BA. However, after a few minutes he had finally managed to unlock the shackles and once they were removed, he threw them angrily across the room onto the floor.

Face's wrists were bloody and torn raw from the length of time and the abuse the shackles had put on them. Murdock's wrists were swollen and sore too, but he didn't have them on for as long as Face did, nor did he get strung up by them like a rag doll.

"Face is lucky to be still alive, Hannibal," Murdock said quietly. "He's in real bad shape and I won't be able to do much for him, except try to keep him as comfortable as I can. He needs Maggie."

"She's on her way here, Murdock," Hannibal replied. "She's coming all the way from Montana, so she'll be awhile. Just do what you can for him. Face is tough. He'll con St. Peter at the Pearly Gates and cheat death, you'll see."


	16. Chapter 16

The Orphans' Hero and His Redemption

Chapter Sixteen

Hours had passed and there was hardly a sound coming from the room where Murdock, Hannibal, and BA worked furiously to do all they could for their friend who was deathly pale and dangerously close to dying. Face struggled to breathe as he lay there tossing and turning from the pain and fever that raged throughout his body.

His friends remained quiet and somber as they worked to wipe away the blood that covered his body and bandage up the various wounds. Murdock held him on his side, as BA wiped the blood off of his back from the lashes that would scar it for the rest of his life. Once they cleaned the wounds, Murdock gently lay him back down and bandaged his ribs as best as he could.

Only three of his ribs were surprisingly broken, but they were broken badly, causing his chest to become badly bruised. Several other ribs were either fractured, or just bruised. Face was lucky that the broken ribs had not punctured his lungs, as far as Murdock could tell, especially after the number of beatings he had received and then being strung up. If they had, Face would certainly be dead by now.

Hannibal just stood by the window and watched for any danger that he knew would eventually come. He listened as Murdock and BA spoke quietly amongst themselves, but he didn't face them. He couldn't. He was angry and terrified that he would lose the man who had been his closest friend for a very long time. Each of them were brothers to each other and he knew how much their relationships meant to Face, after living most of his life completely alone.

After being lost in his thoughts and memories for what seemed like hours, Hannibal finally came back to reality when he heard a helicopter nearby. Both BA and Murdock got up from where they sat near the bed and joined Hannibal at the window. The helicopter landed, and their friend, Maggie Sullivan, stepped out and walked away from the helicopter. Hannibal moved away from the window and left the room to go outside to greet her and lead her back to Face as quickly as possible.

As they entered the room and she saw why it was she was asked to come to them, tears began to fall slowly down her face because of the horrible pain her new friends were forced to bear. It wasn't just the physical pain that the one she knew as Faceman was going through, but also the emotional and mental pain all of them were going through as well. She couldn't even begin to imagine what they were all feeling right now, but she could see the anger, fear, and sadness in their eyes and in their faces.

"He's in real bad shape, Maggs," Murdock said as she came over to the bed and began to access the multiple wounds on Face's body, just as Murdock had done. "I tried to help him the best I could, but…"

"You did just fine, Murdock," Maggie answered as she tried to stop him from blaming himself. "I promise that I will do all I can for him. Now, have you given him any medicine for the pain?"

Murdock shook his head and replied, "I couldn't get him to drink or swallow anything. He hasn't even been conscious yet since we found him. I didn't know what to do for him."

Maggie placed her hand on Face's forehead to check his temperature and then ran her hands along his neck and throat to make sure that it wasn't swollen closed while she listened to him as he struggled to breathe. She let out a small sigh of relief when she was satisfied that it wasn't. However, she needed to find some way to get the medicine down him. Then, she pulled out several items from her medical bag that she had brought with her.

She looked over at BA and said, "I'm going to need a very small tube that will fit down his throat. We are going to have to pour the medicine down it because he isn't conscious to be able to swallow it on his own. Do you know anything like that?"

"What about the tube from the windshield wipers on the van?" he asked. "Will that work?"

"I think that will work perfectly," she replied as he left to go and get it. "In the meantime, Murdock, I want you to help me by holding him up while I stitch up his wounds on his back. Otherwise, he's going to keep losing blood and eventually, he will run out. After we're done with everything else, he's going to need a blood transfusion. Hannibal, please tell me you and him are a match?"

Hannibal nodded and responded, "He can have as much as he needs. Anything I can do to help."

Maggie answered, "I know. Now, after we get him stitched up, we will have to bandage his ribs much tighter than what they are now. You did a fine job, Murdock, but we need to make sure that there is no chance for them to move at all. They need to heal correctly."

She ran her hands along his chest, stomach, and sides to feel how bad the ribs were broken and if any of them were out of place. The dark bruises made his chest look worse than what it really was. From the rest of the wounds on his body, she was also amazed that not one of the ribs had punctured a lung.

"All right, let's get to work on his back," Maggie said mostly to Murdock who sat down on the bed and slowly lifted his friend's upper body up. "His chest will be all right for as long as this will take, as long as we are careful."

Maggie worked on his back and stitched the wounds up with the smallest stitches as she could, so that the scars would be as minimal as she could make them. She needed to work slowly, or she may cause more damage to him.

After Maggie had started on the bandaging process, BA had finally come back in and showed her what he had done with the tube he had taken from off of his van. He had cut the tube down so that it was about the length of a ruler, probably an inch or two longer. Then, he had found some small pieces of the scrap left over from the metal he had melded to the bus and melded them into a small funnel. The tip of it was molded to fit the top of the tube and then he molded the two objects together. Once he had finished, he sterilized his contraption, using some of the hot water that Sara had boiled for them.

After Maggie saw what he had made, she looked up at BA as he said, "I saw this done a few times in the war. I helped to treat a few of the soldiers this way. I just never thought I would have to do it to a friend."

Maggie patted his arm as she responded, Thank you, BA. This is wonderful."

Maggie and Murdock lay him back down on the bed slowly and carefully when they were finished. Murdock grabbed one of the rags that Sara and the kids had brought him and began to wipe the sweat away from his friend's face, neck, and body. The hot water would help to lower the fever that continued its course of trying to destroy Face's body.

While he did that, BA worked on moving the tube down his throat. After it was in, Maggie slowly poured the medicine she had brought to help to eliminate the fever and take away as much of his pain as it could. Once the medicine had gone down successfully, she poured water down to help to rehydrate him and then removed the tube from his throat. Then, she went to work on patching and bandaging up the wounds that covered his wrists and ankles.

Finally, Maggie prepared what she needed in order to give Face the blood transfusion that he needed. BA had carried in one of the children's beds from another room because it was small enough to fit next to the bed where Face lay. Hannibal lay down on the smaller bed and relaxed as she hooked up the device that she then used to transfer his blood to Face.

Night had come by the time they were finished doing all they could for their friend. Murdock continued to work on trying to bring down Face's temperature by wiping his body down, but it didn't do a lot for him. The fever had a strong hold on him. Hannibal sat up in the bed, but did not stand as Maggie had ordered him not too. She told him that he would faint if he tried. All they could do now was wait.

Sam and Cadao were finally allowed to come into their room to see Face for themselves. Cadao ran over to the bed and sat where Maggie had been sitting earlier. She was now sitting in a chair that BA and also brought in from another room inside the orphanage, as well as one for himself. Sam stood in the corner of the room with his head down.

Murdock saw this, stood from the bed, and walked over to Sam as he said, "Do not feel bad about the things you said to Face earlier. He doesn't blame you and neither do I. You were in that God forsaken place for about seven years. It's no wonder you didn't believe that you would ever be rescued one day, especially after being promised by others that you would be, time and time again."

Sam looked up at him and replied, "You and your friends came through. You kept your promise, but it came at a terrible cost. I am so sorry."

"Face knows the risks of what we do, and he gladly takes them day after day because he is a good man who cares about what happens to good people," Hannibal responded. "He especially cared about you kids because he was an orphan too. Seeing what Rick and his thugs did to all of you hit a tender spot in him."

"Murdock told me about him knowing how we felt better than anyone," Sam said. "I didn't believe him at the time, or at least I didn't care. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself and the other children. I was wrong."

Murdock patted Sam on the back and answered, "Face will wake up in no time and he'll tell you not to worry yourself about what was said days ago. If it weren't for you and Cadao here, we wouldn't have been able to find him in time to save him. Thank you both for all you've done to help him."

Cadao spoke up saying, "Faceman là anh hùng của chúng tôi."

Maggie looked over at the boy sitting next to Face on the bed and asked, "What does that mean?"

Hannibal, Murdock, and BA all smiled as Hannibal replied, "It roughly means, 'Faceman is our hero.' He will love to hear that. Thank you both very much."

Six days later…

Face's fever had broken after three days, but it had taken him six to finally wake up. As he did so, he found himself lying on a bed inside a room that he was once very familiar with a long time ago. He left it once he enlisted in the Army. He was at the orphanage where he grew up in Los Angeles. He couldn't believe that he was back here after all this time.

As he continued to look around, he found Murdock, Hannibal, and BA sitting in chairs next to his bed, all of them fast asleep. He couldn't help but laugh at the sight as they slept, very uncomfortably no doubt.

It was then that they all suddenly woke up to find him awake after all this time. The three of them stood and walked over to the bed. Murdock sat down on the bed and placed his hand on his forehead in order to check his temperature. He smiled as he pulled his hand away and gently patted Face on his right shoulder.

"It's about time you woke up, Kid," Hannibal said first. "You had us all very worried, even BA."

"Yeah, Man!" BA replied. "Don't ever do that to us again."

Murdock agreed as he responded, "Yeah, BA nearly killed me after we had to knock him out so that we could fly you here from Bluewater. If this didn't happen, we wouldn't have had to do that."

Face looked up at them confused and asked, "Why did you guys bring me here?"

"Miss Sullivan had told your friends that your recovery would be best someplace where you would feel the most comfortable and they had a feeling that that would be here," answered the priest who had raised him here since he was five years old.

"Father O'Malley!" Face said in a surprised tone. "It is so good to see you and in good health. The last time I saw you…"

"Was when you visited me in the hospital a couple of years ago back when I was very ill myself," he replied. "It is I who is old and should have been on his deathbed, not you my dear boy."

Face reached up to take the Father's hand as Murdock responded, "He's going to be just fine now."

Face asked, "What happened back there? I don't remember anything since…"

Hannibal interrupted him, knowing what it was he was remembering, and answered, "We arrived to time to save you and we took care of Rick and his thugs. Most of them were brought down at the mine when we rescued you. The rest of them came back into town to try to rescue their boss early the next morning. They were easy to wipe out. Rick, Jack, and everyone else involved in making those children slaves are now safely tucked away inside a filthy prison in Yuma, Arizona."

"They will no doubt be forced to work in a chain gang for several hours a day," BA continued. "Those suckers will pay for what they've done, to you and the kids."

"What happened to them, to Cadao and Sam?" Face asked again. "Are they all right?"

Murdock replied, "Why don't you see for yourself, boys!"

Cadao, Sam, and Maggie walked into the room and Cadao ran over to the bed to give Face a hug. Face put his right arm around Cadao in response to the hug and looked over at Sam and smiled. He saw the gratitude and compassion in his face now, rather than the hardness that once occupied it.

"We needed to find some place to go that was away from that town," Sam said before Face could say anything. "Some of the children went to other places, some stayed in Bluewater with Sara, but many of us came here. Your friends talked to Father O'Malley and he was excited to have us come to live here with him. I'm going to help him to take care of the younger kids."

"Murdock said this is where you grew up," Cadao responded. "Father O'Malley told us more stories about you as you were growing up. He said you were a troublemaker."

Face and the others laughed as he answered, "I started conning people out of things back when I was pretty young. I could be a handful at times, but Father O'Malley wouldn't have had it any other way. I am glad that you will be somewhere I can come to visit as often as I can."

Hannibal smiled as he watched Face interact with the boys. Even though the sadness and pain from the suffering Face had endured while trapped in his own kind of Hell was still there, Hannibal, Murdock, and BA all began to see the old Face they knew and loved.

"So, what exactly happened to all that gold?" Face asked.

Hannibal laughed and replied, "What was left in the mine was destroyed when we went back to the mine to blow it up. A majority of what was left over went to the children so that they will all be taken care of quite well for the rest of their lives. And the rest, went to replenish our vastly depleted funds. You'll be able to purchase yourself another gold watch and a whole new wardrobe."

"Hey Kid," Murdock said as he turned to look at Cadao. "Tell Face what you told all of us that night back in Bluewater."

""Faceman là anh hùng của chúng tôi," Cadao said happily.

Face smiled as Murdock replied, "You got that right, Little Buddy! He sure is."

The End


	17. Thank You

Thank you to all of those who have read and have written reviews for my stories! They are much appreciated. I'm honored to have you all for fans and I hope to hear from you again in the future, should you choose to read and enjoy more of my work. Best of wishes to you all!

Sincerely,

Genevieve Kelly


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